I Just Need One Miracle
by chocolate-colombo
Summary: When Carlos and Logan are attacked one night, the boys' lives worsen as the secrets of what happened are revealed.
1. Prologue

**So welcome to my first BTR story. I got into them a few weeks ago and I'm really lovin' 'em right now!**

**I'm keeping this chapter short because it's the prologue... **

**I want to say thanks to BTR'slovesong because she encouraged me to write a fic.  
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**On that note, Enjoy!**

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><p>It wasn't supposed to be like this. James sitting in a hospital waiting room, just dying to hear any update. Today was supposed to be simple. James going out with some girl he met by the pool. Kendall talking to the new girl at the Palm Woods. Logan going to his community college classes. Carlos...being Carlos.<p>

But no. Someone had to ruin that. James looked over to his friend sitting next to him. Kendall, the fearless leader, sat in the chair next to James. Deep in thought and full of worry. James reached out his hand to Kendall's shoulder.

"I should've gone with him," Kendall said. "Maybe I could have protected them both."

"You can't blame yourself for any of this, Kendall." Kendall looked up. James flashed him a reassuring smile. "This isn't your fault and Carlos and Logan will be just fine."

Kendall let out a large exhale. Him and James sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, when a middles aged woman approached them. Seeing the looks on the sad boys' faces, she couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

"You poor boys. I heard parts of your conversation."

Kendall and James looked up at the strange lady standing above them. Kendall was kind of weirded out at first, but James couldn't help but think that this lady seemed very sincere. "Yeah, our two best friends, brother even, are here," he said.

The lady gave them a look of sympathy. "Oh no. What happened?"

"That's what we're hoping they'll tell us," Kendall piped in. "Our friend, Carlos was on the phone when it happened. I heard him and our other friend, Logan, scream, and that was it."

The lady winced after hearing Kendall's story. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened after that. "Some people are messed up."

James nodded his head in agreement. "So what are you here for?"

"My husband," she answered quickly. "He was in a bad car accident. But they said it was a miracle. They pulled him out of the car and was mostly conscious on the way to the hospital. I'm waiting for news on him now." The lady looked down. "I'm Lila Jeffries by the way."

Kendall gave a half smile. "Well I'm Kendall Knight," he gestured over to James. "And this is my friend James Diamond."

Lila smiled. Just then, a doctor walked out. "Family of Daniel Jeffries?" The doctor smiled as Lila stood up.

Before the doctor and Lila made their way to Daniel's hospital room, she turned around and said, "Your friends will be fine. Remember: miracles can happen."

Kendall and James only prayed for a miracle as a doctor walked out shortly after. "Family of Carlos Garcia?"

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><p><strong>Hospital scenes are whack.<strong>

**Hope you liked it. This is just the prologue. Wait until the story unravels, then you'll see every mean and crazy things I have up my sleeve.**

**Drop a review, please. I wanna know what you think.**


	2. The Two Guys

**The feedback I got for the prologue lifted my spirits in every way possible. :D Thank you!**

**So here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

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><p>The four boys couldn't help but enjoy their feeling of temporary freedom. Jennifer and Katie Knight had made a trip to Minnesota to see some family.<p>

They were, of course, still bound by the rules of the Palm Woods in general, but when has that ever stopped them?

Logan was at class. He was receiving extra credits at the community college.

James was at the pool, talking to Jessica, a girl at the Palm Woods who finally decided to give James the light of day.

Kendall was in the lobby. There, he was on the couch, sitting next to the new girl at the Palm Woods. She was pretty tall, standing at the height of 5'9, she passed up Carlos by just a little bit. She was African American, and her genius level was up there with Logan's. Kendall couldn't help but admit that this girl was pretty cool.

Carlos, on the other hand, had used the car, Logan's car, to take Stephanie to the air port. She had visited the Palm Woods for a week and now she was heading back to New York. The result being that Logan was dropped off at the community college while Carlos kept the car.

Carlos had planned on using Ms. Knight's car, but James had already called it. Apparently his "hot date" had promise. But then again, this was James we're talking about.

Logan's class were scheduled at weird times. Because of rehearsals with Gustavo and Mr. X, Logan had classes later in the day. His classes usually ended when it was getting dark, so he always had the car parked closest to the entrance of the community college and never lingered outside. He always went straight to the car. Sure that seemed paranoid, but hey, years of bullying could do that to a person.

Carlos dropped off Stephanie at the air port, and may have broken a few speeding laws in order to pick up Logan on time. Kendall had offered to tag along with Carlos, but Carlos said no. He didn't want to interrupt Kendall's day with Amirah.

Logan slowly walked out of the building, his phone in hand as he dialed Carlos' number. Then, his phone started blinking. Great. Dying battery. He walked down the steps of the school as he saw the familiar headlights of the BTR mobile at a distance. A smile crept on his face as he mentally commended Carlos for being on time. He put his phone in his pocket when he felt a hand put over his mouth. "Do anything stupid and the knife in my hand goes through you," the voice behind Logan said.

Logan slowly nodded, scared out of his mind. The person behind him pulled away behind the large trees next to the school. His eyes followed the BTR mobile as Carlos drove close up to the front of the school.

"Don't worry about your friend," the voice said. "My guy will take care of him." He slowly took his hand of Logan's mouth.

"Why are you doing this?" Logan said quietly, paying attention to the knife his captor was holding.

"Why don't you ask your little friend?"

Logan swallowed the lump in his throat. He saw Carlos climbing out of the car, talking on his phone. "I called him three times, Kendall!" Logan heard Carlos say.

As Carlos began walking up the few steps of the community college, a man walked up behind him. He tapped Carlos' shoulder, who quickly turned around thinking it was Logan. The bright look in his eyes faded when he saw that it wasn't Logan. The man punched Carlos in the face, earning a small, yet audible scream. "You pathetic beaner," he said as Carlos hit the ground, holding his face. Carlos' phone had fallen from his hand, shattering as it hit the cement.

Logan lost it. He hated seeing Carlos getting hurt. When Carlos got punched, adrenaline began pumping. "Carlos!" he yelled as he struggled out of his captor's grasp. Miraculously, he succeeded, and ran straight to the man who hurt Carlos. He was about to throw a punch when he was once again grabbed from behind and thrown on the ground. His captor was now on top of Logan. He put his hand on Logan's neck and squeezed.

"You're almost as dirty as he is," he said, his head gesturing toward Carlos, who was now standing up, but held back by the other guy.

"Logan!" Carlos yelled as his eyes began to water up. "Please stop!"

Logan struggled as the ability to breathe was quickly escaping him. The man on top of Logan let go, and smiled as Logan hacked while sweet oxygen entered his lungs.

Carlos gave a sigh of relief. "Look, just take our money or whatever you want," Carlos practically begged.

The man holding Carlos chuckled. "You think that's what this is about?" he yelled as he punched Carlos in the abdomen. He doubled over trying to catch his breath. He wasn't expecting the next few kicks and punches that met his body right after.

"We're through," the first man said. "Let's just leave our message and go."

His friend nodded, and pulled out his knife. Carlos knew what that meant. He began shaking his head. "N-no no ."

Carlos' pleads went unheard as the knife was plunged into his torso.

"CARLOS!" Logan yelled out.

Carlos gripped his fresh knife wound, still in shock about what happened. He fell onto his knees "L-Logie," he whispered.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP!" Logan yelled.

"Keep your mouth shut!" Logan's captor yelled. Logan was ready to disobey and scream some more. What he wasn't ready for, was the hand that grabbed his face and smashed his head into the cememt, not once, not twice, but three times.

"Let's go," he said once he saw that Logan was out cold. The two guys walked away, not even turning around to look at what they'd done.

They should have, otherwise they would have seen that the bleeding Latino was not unconscious or dead. Carlos slowly sat up, adrenaline making its way through his body. He crawled over to Logan.

"Logie?" Carlos shook Logan's limp body. He saw the pool of blood forming around Logan's head. "L-Logie. Please wake up." Tears began falling from Carlos' face. He needed to call an ambulance. He spotted Logan's phone in his pocket. He reached into Logan's pocket, only to discover Logan's black screen, telling him of the dead battery.

Carlos was conflicted. Leave Logan here and look for help, or stay here with Logan and hope they both get lucky. He grabbed Logan's limp hand and said, "I-I'll be right back, Logan." Carlos heard Logan's rough breathing, and saw the slow rise and fall of his chest. "Everything's gonna be okay." Carlos slowly stood of the ground, gripping his painful torso and wincing at the pain.

Logan needed help, and Carlos was determined to find it.

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><p><strong>My biggest debate was ending the chapter here, or continuing on.<strong>

**Hey, at least this cliffhanger wasn't _as _bad as the one I almost made.**

**So I know that what the guy called Carlos was mean and offensive. But those are my characters talking, not me. I love Carlos!**

**Hope you enjoyed. Feel free to drop a review ;D**


	3. The Convenience Store

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Kendall said goodbye to Amirah. "So I'll see you later?"<p>

Amirah nodded. "Looks like I'm here to stay. Wanna hang at my apartment in a couple of hours? Practice ends at around 9. Maybe I can look for you when I come back from the studio," the new singer/rapper/dancer replied.

"Definitely," Kendall said as they parted ways. He made his way to the pool, spotting James tanning. "Hey James," Kendall said once he took a seat next to James on the neighboring lawn chair.

They enjoyed watching the actions of everyone that surrounded them. Tyler's mom ran frantically as she looked for her son who locked himself in the janitor's closet. The Jennifers lounged in chairs sipping smoothies while giving a death glare to any guy who came too close. Mr. Bitters ordering Buddha Bob around. And Guitar Dude played his guitar, which everyone loved, of course.

Three very important people were missing from this equation. Logan, who was at "school". Carlos, who was spending his time with Stephanie before she went to the airport. And Camille, who was at an audition.

Kendall wondered about Carlos. He knew what Carlos felt like. The girl he liked moved away from him for her career. Kendall was very familiar with that situation. He knew Carlos would be feeling down once that plane took off.

Speak of the devil. Kendall's phone began ringing. "Hey Carlos," Kendall said as he answered his phone.

"Hey Kendall. I just dropped off Stephanie at the air port." Carlos sighed. Kendall knew how Carlos felt. The girl he really liked had moved away from him because of her career. Carlos interrupted Kendall's thoughts. "How did you do it, man?"

Kendall felt really sorry for Carlos. "Are you sure you don't want me to pick up Logan? Why don't you come back home and take a break?"

"Naw, I'm good. Besides, I'm still getting my driving practice in," Carlos said with a smile, though he knew Kendall couldn't see him anyway. "Logan's class is ending soon. I don't want him freaking out on us."

"Okay, Carlos. See you later," Kendall replied, knowing that when Carlos was determined to do something, there's no stopping him.

Though, it wasn't all the time that Mr. Bitters let the kids stay at the pool past 8:00PM, so Kendall took that to his advantage as he relaxed, inhaling the chlorine filled air.

Kendall and James chatted around the pool as they heard a very familiar voice. "UNBELIEVABLE!" Camille yelled as she got close to James and slapped him.

"You must gotten the part for "Prom of Death" obviously," James said as he held his face.

Camille smiled and nodded. "They said I have the attitude and personality they were looking for."

_Crazy?_ Kendall thought. He sighed when his phone began ringing, but shrugged when he found out that it was Carlos calling. "What's up Carlos?"

"Have you heard from Logan? He's not outside and I've called him three times, Kendall!"

Kendall was about to respond when he heard Carlos grunt in pain and Logan screaming Carlos name as the call disconnected. "C-Carlos? Are you alright?"

James and Camille heard the worry in his voice. They leaned closer to Kendall in order to get an idea of what was going on.

Kendall tried calling Logan. "Something's wrong," he said to James and Camille as he waited for Logan to answer. Instead, the call went straight to voice mail.

"Kendall," James started to say, but Kendall already read his mind.

"We need to see what's up. James, do you still have the keys to Mom's car?" James pulled out the keys from his pocket and jingled them. Kendall turned to Camille. "I need you to stay here. Let us know if Logan and Carlos come back." Camille nodded and went to the lobby. James and Kendall dashed to the car and drove off.

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><p>Carlos didn't know where to go. His whole body hurt, he was bleeding, and he was getting cold. The worst thing was, he was scared. Scared that Logan could be dying right now and there's nothing that could be done.<p>

They say that people with a strong will to live, are able to survive severe attacks and injuries. Carlos only hoped that Logan had that will. That hopefully, Logan was able to still think about his best friends, even though he was unconscious. Carlos knew that Mr. Mitchell was a douche, and everyone was happy when Joanna divorced him, but Logan always lived with the nightmares of his father. It was always one step forward and two steps back with him.

He could feel his legs weaken every step he took. Carlos didn't have to go any further as he saw a convenient store. Carlos mustered up every last bit of strength possible to run to the store. When he walked inside, he saw a middle aged Hispanic man behind the counter, whose eyes widened in shock after seeing Carlos walk in.

"A-ayudame, por favor," Carlos said as tears began falling from his eyes.

"Dios mio!" the man exclaimed as he ran over to Carlos, who looked like he would collapse at any moment.

"M-my friend...needs help." Carlos could feel that the adrenaline in his body was quickly fading away. He felt the pain of the knife wound and his eyelids getting heavier. The man, whose name tag identified him as Ricardo, caught Carlos as he fell. "The c-community college," Carlos said as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Ricardo pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. "Hello. Please. There's a kid that came into my store with a stab wound. It doesn't look good...thanks. Oh and one more thing! He says he has a friend at the community college. I think he's hurt too. Can you send someone down there? Just in case?...Thank you. And please hurry."

Ricardo put his phone back in his pocket as he searched the store for towels. Once he found them, he quickly made his way back to Carlos and pressed the towels to Carlos' bleeding wound. Carlos didn't even react. "It's gonna be okay, kid. Just...hang in there."

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><p>Kendall and James figured that the first place they should head to, was the community college. It looked normal. The school was closed, so no one was around and it was quiet...too quiet.<p>

They pulled up into the school parking lot. The first thing they spotted was the BTR mobile.

"Kendall! Do you see that?" James yelled, as if Kendall was blind AND deaf. Kendall drove closer to the vehicle.

That's when he saw something at the height of the school steps. "James! Look over there." Kendall pointed to the stairs.

They hopped out of the car and ran up the school steps. "Logan," Kendall breathed out. Him and James got on their knees. Kendall was the first to take action. "Logan. Logan c'mon buddy wake up," he said as he shook Logan gently by the shoulders. They noticed the blood surrounded Logan's head. The fact that Logan was paler than normal.

James and Kendall heard Logan's shallow breathing. Which was soon drowned out by sirens. That's when they both realized: where's Carlos?

"M-maybe Carlos escaped and got help," James said, trying to be optimistic.

EMTs approached the boys, ready to work. Kendall and James watched in shock as the EMTs worked on Logan. "He's barely breathing!" one EMT yelled as they put Logan on a gurney.

"This your friend?" one EMT asked the boys.

They nodded dumbly. "There's another one though and we can't find him," Kendall said.

The EMT nodded. "A call from a convenience store was reported. That's how we found him. Two ambulances were sent. One here and one to the convenience store. That could be your other friend. If you head down there now, you may be able to still catch him before the ambulance takes him away too."

"James, I'll stay with Logan. You go see if Carlos is still there," Kendall commanded. James nodded and took off running.

Thankfully, the store was extremely close. James entered into the store as an ambulance pulled into the parking lot.

The first sight James was greeted with when he entered the store was an unconscious Carlos and a man doing his best to keep him alive. He rushed over to Carlos side.

"He passed out a few minutes ago. He must really care for his friend because he came in here asking me to call an ambulance for his friend, not himself."

James gave a humorless laugh. "Yeah, that's Carlos for ya."

The EMTs came in, and quickly laid Carlos on a gurney and attached an IV into his arm. James thanked the store clerk.

"Let me know when he gets better, would you?"

James nodded and entered the ambulance with Carlos. He pulled out his phone and called Kendall. This was going to be a long night.

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><p><strong>So this chapter I wasn't too satisfied with, but I hope you guys liked it. :D<strong>

**Drop a review, homes!** **(Yes I meant to spell homes, not homies)**


	4. Doctor, Doctor Gimme the News

**I keep forgetting to say this: I don't own Big Time Rush...but I think by now, you've figured it out.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>The wait in the waiting room was horrific. When the doctor walked up to James and Kendall, they had a feeling something was not right. The boys stood up, desperately waiting to hear what the doctor had to say.<p>

"Are Mr. Garcia's parents here?" the doctor asked.

The boys shook their heads, but Kendall spoke up. "Look. Our parents are in Minnesota. We've called them and they're on the next plane over here."

The doctor sighed. "I'm afraid I can't tell you what's wrong until your guardians get here."

James and Kendall were ready to beg. "Please," James spoke up. "We needa know how he's doing. At least let us see him!"

The doctor sighed once again after seeing the pleading look on the boys' faces. "Okay," he cleared his throat. "First, let me introduce myself. I'm Dr. Spencer. Your friend is one soldier. Our only worry is that he did lose a lot of blood, so we're monitoring him right now."

James smiled. "So you're saying he'll be okay?" The doctor nodded. "What about Logan? Logan Mitchell?"

Dr. Spencer looked down. "I really need your parents to come down here."

"Would just tell us? We need to know!" Kendall demanded.

Kendall and James collapsed into their seats when they heard what was up with Logan. "He's in a coma. I'm sorry but, it doesn't look good." He hesitated before repeating, "I'm sorry."

Kendall snapped and shot out of his seat. "Is that all you can say? You're sorry?" James tried to calm him down.

"We were able to stop the bleeding in his head. But right now, all we can do is wait."

Just then, Camille ran into the waiting room. James had called her while he was in the ambulance. Her phone had gone to voice mail, because like normal people, she was asleep. The only way she knew her phone rang was when she woke up for a glass of water and noticed the blinking light from her phone. She made her way over to the hospital as soon as she heard James' message. "Guys. Have you heard anything?"

"Have a seat Camille," James said. She obeyed, taking the closet seat. "Uh, Carlos was stabbed. The doctor said he'll recover. You know Carlos, he can't stay down, right?" James let out a humorless chuckle. He didn't want to repeat what was said about Logan. He was still having a hard time believing it. "L-Logan is...he's..." James couldn't say the word "Coma." He's never had to before.

"James. Just tell me. Please," Camille begged.

James nodded. "Logan's in a coma..."

Camille gasped, glad she was already in a chair because her joints felt like jello. "Can we see them?" Camille asked Dr. Spencer.

He nodded. "Just know that Carlos hasn't woken up. He's on a lot of morphine." The boys were led to room 298; Carlos' room. They saw Carlos with an oxygen mask over his face, an IV in his arm, a heart monitor and various other medical equipment. They wished Logan was there to tell them what it all was.

"It's very unlikely to happen now," Dr. Spencer began. "But call me if Carlos wakes up. Mr. Mitchell's room is 312, if you want to see him now. But prepare yourselves first. And because of the unit he's in, you need to keep your visit short. Five minutes." They nodded, and the doctor walked out.

The three approached Carlos. Kendall grabbed his limp hand. "Why would anyone do this to you guys?" Kendall asked, barely above a whisper.

Everyone was almost speechless after that. Carlos had been to the hospital plenty of times. But those instances were always either from a hockey accident or the results of his crazy stunts. Never because he was attacked by some crazy psycho.

"We should go see Logan," Camille said, breaking the silence.

The boys agreed. "We'll be back buddy," James said to Carlos' sleeping form.

No matter how much they tried, they couldn't get themselves to be ready for what they saw behind the door to Logan's room. He was pretty much in the same condition as Carlos. The only differences being the gauze wrapped around his head, and instead of an oxygen mask, a breathing tube had been placed down his throat. Machines were breathing for him, keeping him alive. Kendall shuddered, thinking about what would happen if the machines were cut off.

Camille started crying. No one could blame her. James looked around the room, looking at anything that wasn't Logan.

"God help the person that did this," Kendall said, full of anger.

Dr. Spencer walked in. "I thought I would find you boys in here. Listen visiting hours are over," Camille, James, and Kendall looked down. "I'm sorry, but you can't stay here."

"But we need to stay," Kendall argued.

Dr. Spencer shook his head. "Well, can we stay with Carlos? What if he wakes up. He'll freak out!" James said.

The doctor thought about it, and after seeing the pleading looks on their faces, he said, "Okay. You can stay with Mr. Garcia. I usually don't do this, but since you kids seem to be the only family he has right now, I'll make an exception."

"Thank you so much!" Camille said as she wiped some stray tears from her face. They made their way to Carlos room. Exhaustion caught up with them quickly as Kendall, James and Camille pulled up seats close to Carlos bed. They were asleep in a matter of minutes.

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><p><strong>Okay, so not so bad a cliffhanger, but this chapter came out WAY shorter than I wanted. Oops, Anyway, next chapter: arrival of the parents!<strong>

**Don't forget to review! Tell me what you loved, hated, and what you wanna see!**


	5. Los Padres

**Here's the next chapter! It was a little hard to write, though.**

**Let me take this time to say "thank you" to the following people for their reviews: CoolDolphin42, btrlover21, Natalie (Anonymous), ArmedWithMyComputer, BTR'slovesong, TheGodsAreOnMySide, Logan Henderson Is Mine, Julgan, BTR Obsessed Fan, iJaganator-xo, iCarlyFan101, Scarlett (Anonymous), Anonymous Skrtle, TidusGT, bubzchoc, Musiclovesbest, KatherineMP20, Kariina55, GhostGirlMD, 1IzzyHenderson.**

**I think I covered everybody. But anyway, thanks for the reviews y'all have sent. they're awesome and a HUGE motivating factor!**

**Anyway, on to the story. Enjoy!**

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><p>Kendall, James, and Camille were sleeping around Carlos' bed. Somehow, Kendall's fingers were intertwined with Carlos', so when Kendall felt movement within his fingers, he knew something was up.<p>

He felt the light squeezes Carlos was giving, and the mutters coming from Carlos.

"L-Logie? Logie?" Kendall's heart broke when he heard Carlos call Logan's name in a small and raspy voice that was muffled by the oxygen mask.

Carlos' eyes were closed, but that didn't stop the tears that were coming from his eyes. "Leave...leave him alone. Please."

Kendall couldn't take it anymore. He gently shook Carlos. "Hey. Carlitos. Wake up."

Carlos slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a couple of times in order to figure out his surroundings. "K-Kendall?"

"Yeah, buddy. It's me. You just had a bad dream, okay?"

Carlos nodded. "Where's Logan? Is he okay?"

Kendall could hear the panic coming from his voice. "Carlos. You did good. He's here. In the hospital." He gave a reassuring smile.

"H-how is he?" Carlos asked, his eyes tearing up a bit more. "He was bleeding a lot."

Kendall suddenly remembered the doctor's instructions and pressed the call button. He didn't know how to tell Carlos that Logan was in a coma. James was a heavy sleeper, so he wasn't going to wake up any time soon to help Kendall out. Camille must be a heavy sleeper too, because she looked knocked out.

"The doctor's gonna come soon, okay Carlos?" Kendall said, trying to avoid Carlos questions about Logan. "Once you get better, you can see Logan."

A small smile formed on Carlos' face. "So he's okay, right?"

Kendall was about to respond, but Dr. Spencer walked into the room. "Ah, Mr. Garcia. I see you're awake. You actually have more visitors that walked in. Would you like to see them?"

Carlos gave a big smile and nodded. Kendall could only think one thing. The parents were here. Mr. and Mrs. Garcia walked in, followed by Katie, Mama Knight, and Ms. Mitchell.

Sylvia Garcia ran up to Carlos' bedside. "Mijo! Me alegro de que estes bien!" She pulled him into a hug, but let go quickly when she heard a hiss of pain coming from Carlos'. He gripped his stab wound, his eyes squeezed shut in pain. It was then that James and Camille began to wake up.

"Are you okay, mijo?" Mr. Garcia asked, his voice full of concern. Carlos whimpered, then gave a quick nod as the pain began to subside.

"Carlos!" James and Camille yelled in sync, once they realized that Carlos was actually awake and the people in the room weren't just a figment of their imagination.

"The man at the convenience store said you got help for Logan," James announced to everyone in the room. "Even though Carlos had been beaten and stabbed, he still had the ability to run to the store and ask for help." Carlos blushed as eyes full of amazement turned to him.

"I'm proud of you, son," Mr. Garcia said.

Once everyone was done with their reuniting, Dr. Spencer injected something into Carlos' IV. "This will minimize the pain. It may make you a little sleepy, okay?" Carlos nodded, ready to be taken into a painless bliss.

The doctor left, and everyone caught up about all the happenings in Minnesota. They noticed Carlos' eyes drooping.

"Go to sleep son," Mr. Garcia said. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

Carlos closed his eyes, thinking only about one thing.

_So how's Logie?  
><em>

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><p>Blackness. That was the only thing there. No people, no color, no smells, no tastes, just blackness. So in a sense, nothingness.<p>

That's all Logan saw. He couldn't hear the A/C unit in the hospital. He couldn't her the beeping of the heart monitor. He couldn't hear the door opening and closing from the various doctors and nurses that walked in to make sure he hadn't died in his sleep.

Logan hated it. He had no idea where he was. He tried thinking long and hard. How did I end up here?

He flashed back to his last day. He remembered waking up, hanging with the guys after breakfast, rehearsals with Gustavo and Mr. X, he remembered being with Camille before she went to her audition, then he went to school. Carlos picked him up and...Oh no.

Logan's last memory was the attack. It flashbacks were vague, but he got an idea. He remembered Carlos taking a few punches, then the stabbing. After that, everything was a blur. What's going on?

But even in his stupor, he heard something. No. Someone. His mother?

"Logan. I really need you. The boys need you. That Camille girl you always talk about, she really needs you. Even Katie needs you! You need to come back to us." Logan heard a few sniffles and sobs, and the talking continued. "We want you to stay strong for us. We know you can come out of this coma." _Wait. Coma?_ "I can't lose you, Logan. I just can't! I'm sorry for everything your father did to you. I still blame myself for it."_ No Mom! It's not your fault. It's his, and his alone!_ "Logan. You have a future ahead of you. You're smart, talented, kind, and I know guys hate hearing this from their moms but, Logan, you're a very handsome man and I know you'll find someone for yourself. The perfect someone. Don't let life's journey end here." A few more sobs. "Think about all of us."

Then there was a short moment of silence before another voice. Kendall.

"Hey, Logan." Kendall gave a humorless laugh, sighed, then continued. "You attract trouble like crazy, you know that? You have all of us worried sick. It's supposed to be the other way around, you know." Kendall sighed. "Carlos woke up for a little while about fifteen minutes ago. Nobody told him that you're in a coma. We didn't have the heart to. He just seems so...broken right now, like he blames himself or something. Logan, I don't know if you can hear me or not, but if you can, please wake up soon. We need you buddy. Carlos especially. You can't leave us, buddy. We're Big Time Rush. It's either all four of us, or none at all." Logan could have sworn he heard Kendall sniffling. Was Kendall crying? He was the fearless leader. Kendall never cried. He was the one that gave everyone a shoulder to cry on. "My time's up, Logie. We love you, buddy, and we need you back."

Another short moment of silence. Logan heard a long sigh.

"Logan, when we saw you out there, I-" James sighed again. "I thought you were d-dead. I thought they killed you and took Carlos. I thought they put Carlos in some basement and started doing only God knows what to him. Carlos is awake. The doctor said he's doing great for someone who'd just been stabbed. Knowing you, you'd probably be with him every minute until he makes a full recovery. I wish you were awake doing that, because Logie, we don't know what to do. Kendall said that when Carlos woke up, he kept asking for you. You're gonna beat this coma, right? And when you do, me and Carlos are definitely gonna throw a party for you, how cares about Mr. Bitters' rules?" There was more silence, as James tried to compose himself, but failed as tears began streaming down his face. "Just wake up, Logie. That's all I ask. When you do that, I'll never ask you for anything else." James got up and left.

Logan heard crying that could only come from one person. Camille.

"You have no idea how pissed I am right now, Logan."_ Yup, that's definitely Camille._ "No way you're getting the easy way out of this one. You need to wake up. We're all worried about you. While James was in here, Carlos was having nightmares. Nightmares about you. Kendall says those aren't the first ones. Dr. Spencer says that if Carlos keeps worrying himself like this, it could slow him down on his road to recovery. We need you, Logan; awake. With us. Telling Carlos that everything will be alright." More crying. "I wish our relationship never ended. I still love you Logan. I know I messed up, but let's face it, you and I have tried to see other people, but we can't stop thinking about each other. When I got that phone call from James, I thought I'd lost my chance with you. I want another one. But I need you to wake up. Please?"

Logan tried to wrap his head around everything said by his mom, Kendall, James, and Camille. They all said that they needed him. That Carlos was a wreck without him. And Camille. Camille still loved him.

Stupid coma.

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><p><strong>Hope you liked that. It was hard keeping people in character but not really...if you know what I mean.<strong>

**Oh well.**

**Go ahead and click that "Review This Story" button!**


	6. He Got the Text

**I'm not too proud of this chapter. I feel that it was a bit too rushed. And if you agree with me on that, at the end of this chapter, I have a very important A/N I need y'all to read. It'll explain a lot.**

**So...I still don't own Big Time Rush...or Apple (If only).**

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><p>Carlos woke up a few hours later. His oxygen mask had finally come off, which he was thankful for. It was really itching his face.<p>

He felt a hand running through his hair. A hand he was highly familiar with. "Dad?" he asked, his voice still a bit scratchy.

"Hey, Carlitos. You doing okay, buddy?" Mr. Garcia smiled.

Carlos nodded. "Where's everybody else?" He started looking around the room. Him and his dad were the only ones there.

"Jennifer and your mother took the boys and Katie to the apartment. They're just gonna take a shower, get something to eat. You know. Joanna and Camille are with Logan."

Carlos' eyebrows perked up at the mention of Logan's name. "Can I see Logan, Dad?" His eyes were full of hope.

Mr. Garcia went through a mental battle in his head as he debated whether to tell Carlos the truth or not. "Sorry, kiddo. He's asleep right now." Technically, he wasn't lying, right?

Carlos sighed in disappointment. "I really wanna see him, Dad." He began tearing up and he hated crying in front of his dad.

"I know. I know. But soon, okay? Patience is a virtue." Mr. Garcia pulled Carlos in a hug. "When Logan is ready, you can see him. He needs to be at 100% before he can see anybody."

Carlos started crying harder. "I'm not just anybody. I'm his best friend!" Mr. Garcia's heart broke. "I need to see him, Papi!"

Mr. Garcia held on tighter to Carlos. "Shh mijo. Everything will be alright." Carlos once again winced in pain from his knife wound. Mr. Garcia noticed that. "See what they mean? You're still in pain. You've always had a high tolerance for pain, but we both know that Logan doesn't. That's why he needs to stay asleep until his better."

Those words seemed to calm down Carlos a bit. Mr. Garcia felt his breathing evening out. He began rubbing circles on Carlos' back until his breathing was completely evened out. "You okay now?" Mr. Garcia asked as he laid Carlos back down on the bed. Carlos nodded and closed his eyes, eventually falling back asleep.

Sylvia walked in shortly after. She approached her husband and held her son's limp hand. "He needs to know," she said flat out.

Mr. Garcia sighed. He already knew what she was talking about. "I know. We just don't know how to tell him yet."

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><p>An hour later, James and Kendall returned to the hospital. The boys urged Mr. Garcia to take a break, and after a while, he agreed. Sylvia was in the hall talking to Jennifer. Most likely about Logan. They couldn't talk about Logan in Carlos' room, for fear of Carlos waking up in the middle of their conversation. But soon, that wouldn't matter.<p>

Camille left the hospital in order to get ready for her rehearsals. She stopped at the Palm Woods, of course everyone had bombarded her with questions. James and Kendall had been receiving texts like crazy.

Carlos was coming in and out of consciousness, falling asleep just as quickly as he woke up.

Kendall's iPhone was laying on the table when his mother had called him outside. James stayed with Carlos, but Kendall promised to tell James anything if it becomes serious.

"Yeah, Mom?" Kendall asked once he was with Jennifer and Sylvia. He saw the looks on their faces, but couldn't read them.

Jennifer was the first to speak. "It's about Logan."

Kendall's heart started to beat out of his chest. "What? Oh no. Is he..?"

Sylvia held up her hand. "Kendall. The doctors said they've seen brain activity!"

Kendall could feel his limbs weaken with relief. "So..he's getting better?" he asked with a smile.

Jennifer and Sylvia nodded, but their smiles soon disappeared when they heard chaos coming from Carlos' room.

"CARLOS!" they heard James yell. When they ran inside, Sylvia started crying, Jennifer's eyes were wide in shock. Kendall ran over to Carlos.

Carlos couldn't breathe. His face was full of panic, Kendall's phone was being squeezed in Carlos' hand.

Sylvia ran over to Carlos as his eyes started to droop close. "Carlitos! Carlitos!" Carlos closed his eyes, his body went limp, and a shrill monotone beeping sound filled the room as doctors and nurses rushed in and pushed Kendall, James, Jennifer, and Sylvia out. Dr. Spencer gave James Kendall's phone.

"What happened?" Kendall demanded as James handed him his phone.

"I don't know!" James replied, very panicky. "Your phone rang! Carlos looked at it then THIS happened!"

Kendall glanced at his phone, trying to find what Carlos saw that almost killed him. "Oh no..." was all Kendall said when he glanced at his phone. He handed the phone to James. Kendall had received a text.

_From: Amirah_  
><em>Logan's in a coma?<em>

Carlos found out.

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><p>The boys waited once again in agony waiting for news on Carlos. Sylvia had called her husband, who must have broken all traffic laws to make it to the hospital at the time he did.<p>

"How did this happen?" Mr. Garcia asked, right now in shock.

James sighed. He couldn't bring himself to tell what happened. "Carlos couldn't breathe. He found out about Logan, his heart started beating faster, he couldn't breathe, and then..." James felt tears pouring from his eyes. Kendall rubbed circles on James' back, hoping that would soothe him a bit.

Mr. Garcia was angry. Not at the boys. Not at anyone else, but at himself. "I should have told him sooner. He shouldn't have found out this way."

Kendall sighed. "No it's my fault. I was with him when he first woke up and I couldn't get myself to tell him. Then, I pretty much leave an open invitation for Carlos to go through my phone, KNOWING that people at the Palm Woods were sending texts about him and Logan."

"Hey do you hear yourselves?" Jennifer spoke up. "Blaming yourselves aren't gonna make the boys better, If anything, we need to be strong for them. The strongest we've ever been. The doctors said that talking to Logan has helped him heal. If we talk to Logan with this attitude, how do you think that'll help him?"

Everyone could see where Kendall got his leadership traits from. Dr. Spencer approached the bunch.

Sylvia practically tackled him when she saw him. "How is he? How's my son?"

Dr. Spencer looked down and sighed. "He's stable now. He scared us today, but he'll be alright."

"What happened to him?" Mr. Garcia asked.

"Your son overexerted himself. Remember me saying that Carlos' worry wasn't good for his body?" Mr. Garcia nodded as Dr. Spencer continued. "Well this is what I was talking about. He was under way too much stress. He lost control of his breathing, causing him to hyperventilate. His heart started beating too fast before it stopped all together. I'm sorry to say this, but you almost lost him."

Sylvia cried into her husband's chest, who barely moved, trying to comprehend the fact that he'd almost lost his son. Again.

"Can we see him now?" Mr. Garcia asked when he was able to form words.

Sr. Spencer nodded. "But let me tell you. He had to be intubated. We want to make it as easy for him to breathe as possible." Dr. Spencer tried to give a reassuring smile as he led the group to Carlos' room.

"I'll leave you guys alone," Dr. Spencer said once they reached Carlos' room.

Carlos was asleep. No surprise there. But this time, it was different. He was paler than he was before. More wires were hooked up to him, and now, he had the same breathing tube as Logan.

James and Kendall couldn't help but think: _Could this get any worse?  
><em>

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><p><strong>Very important AN: Okay, so like I said in the beginning, I felt that this chapter was a bit rushed...it was, and let me tell you why: In a couple of days, I'm hopping on a plane to go see all my family in Nigeria. Yup. I said it. Nigeria. I'll be gone for about a month. And you know what that means? No updates for a month :O  
>Don't hate me PLEASE! XD I'll be spending the next few days packing and catching up on school work that I'm gonna miss. So I'll be super busy for the rest of the week.<br>The worst part, I won't get to read all the stories that I'm following! AHHH!  
>Nah, just playin'. I have a lot to do over there so I'll be so occupied that I won't even remember them until I get back from Nigeria and the only companionship I have is my computer. :P<br>**

**Okay. Now that I've gotten that outta the way: Hit me with a review (and not a dangerous weapon of any kind) and tell me what you think. I wonder how many reviews I'm gonna get that include the words, "I hate Amirah..." LOL.  
><strong>

**And you'll see me again in a month. (Who knows? Maybe less.)  
><strong>


	7. One Miracle

**I'm baaack.**

**I've caught up on reading my stories and I wrote my chapter. I am on a roll (Yeah right). My trip was fun and I wanna go back but I'm here now :D**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"Carlos. C'mon. Talk to us, buddy," Kendall pleaded with Carlos. He'd got the tube removed, and he was very aware of what had happened four days before. Carlos turned away from Kendall, James, and his parents.<p>

Mr. Garcia sighed. He felt really bad about this. "Son. We're sorry. Honest. We should have told you and we're horrible people for not telling you what happened. We just want you to talk to us. Even if you don't forgive us, just say something." Mr. Garcia was practically begging.

There were a few minutes of silence. "Carlitos?" his mom said, breaking the awkward silence.

Carlos spoke. "Lemme see him," he said in a strong and serious voice.

"I'll let a doctor know," James said, heading out the door. There was another awkward silence as they waited for James to return. Carlos wasn't ready to talk just yet. "Hey," James said as he walked in. Dr. Spencer was right behind him, bringing a wheel chair with him.

Mr. Garcia helped Carlos onto the chair, and they all went with him to Logan's room. Joanna was there, nodding in and out of sleep.

"Anything?" Sylvia asked. Joanna shook her head. Mr. Garcia rolled Carlos closer to Logan's bed.

Carlos was quiet the whole time. "Carlos. You okay?" Kendall asked him, his voice laced with concern.

Carlos sighed before answering. "I-it's because of me," Carlos said in a low voice.

"What'd you say?" James asked to make sure he heard correctly.

Carlos raised his voice a bit higher. "It's my fault." A tear rolled down his face. Before anyone could ask questions, he continued. "When my attacker punched me in the face, Logan tried to hit him back, but...but the guy's friend grabbed Logan and started choking him. Then...then when I got stabbed...he..he yelled for help and now he's here! Like this!"

No one in the room knew what to do. This was the first time they heard of what happened that night, even if the story was a little bit choppy. Mr. Garcia was the first to react. He got closer to Carlos and put a soothing hand on his back. "But guess what, Carlitos. With your fast thinking, you were able to get Logan help. Who knows where he would have been?"

A small smile appeared on Carlos' face. "Thanks, Dad."

Mr. Garcia nodded. "We'll give you some time with Logan," he said, while looking around the room for confirmation. "We'll be out in the hall if you need us." Everyone quickly filed out of the room, leaving Carlos alone with Logan.

Honestly, Carlos had no idea what to say. What was left to say? Hey, Logan. Remember the night we were attacked? Crazy wasn't it? Awkward. Carlos inhaled deeply and started talking, hoping that if Logan could hear him, he was making sense. "Hey, Logie. You really scared us, you know. You scared me. But you'll be okay, right?" Carlos thought he saw movement coming from Logan's fingers, but he dismissed it as being part of his imagination. "I wish we were back home, you know? Playing video games, relaxing on the couch, messing around at the pool." Logan's eyelids started fluttering. Carlos got closer to him. "Logan?"

There were a few moments of silence before Logan's glassy eyes completely opened. Noises were coming from Logan's mouth from his attempts to talk that were blocked by the obnoxious tube down his throat. Carlos would have jumped up and down if he hadn't been in the wheelchair. Instead, he rolled himself to the hallway. "He awake! Logan's awake!" he yelled to everybody. With faces of shock and surprise, everyone walked into Logan's room.

Joanna ran up Logan when she saw he was awake. She hugged him tightly while Mr. Garcia called in the doctor.

"Amazing," the doctor said when he saw Logan awake. He and another nurse removed the tube from Logan's throat and left the group of family and friends to be together.

"How long was I out?" Logan asked, his voice barely over a whisper and his face etched with confusion.

"Six days," was the reply given by everyone in the room.

"Honey, I'm so glad you're okay," Joanna said with a big smile on her face.

Logan still had a confused look on his face. "What happened?"

Carlos' eyes became glassy with unshed tears. "Y-you don't remember?"

Kendall cut in. "Hold on. What do you remember last?"

Logan racked his brain. He flashed back to everything he remembered last. _Why does it feel like I've done this already?_ "I thought I was dreaming," Logan said to himself.

"What?" Joanna asked, feeling panic rising in herself.

Logan looked over at Carlos. "That's why you're here in a wheelchair. What happened at the community college really happened, didn't it?" Carlos nodded. Logan sighed. "I'm sorry for putting you through that, buddy."

Carlos shook his head. "I'm fine, Logie. I'm even better knowing that you're awake." Carlos smiled. "Let's just try to forget that night, okay?" Logan nodded his head in agreement.

Sylvia and Mr. Garcia turned to each other. They were both thinking the same thing: Logan waking up at that moment wasn't a coincidence. It was a miracle and a source of proof. Proof that Logan needed Carlos and Carlos needed Logan.

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><p>"Let me tell you," Dr. Spencer said to Joanna, the Garcias, and Jennifer Knight. They were just outside Logan's room."Logan waking up so quickly was something we didn't expect. I'm still in shock." Everyone looked inside to Logan's room, seeing all four boys having a lively conversation. "He's recovered almost as if nothing happened. You've got a strong boy on your hands, Ms. Mitchell."<p>

"When do the boys get to go home?" Jennifer asked. None of the parents cared that Logan's time of waking up couldn't be explained, they were just glad that he woke up.

Dr. Spencer responded, his eyes still drifting back and forth from the parents to the boys in Logan's room. "We don't want to send Logan home just yet. But Carlos seems to be recovering just fine. Tell you what. It looks like once we check Carlos out, he'll be spending most of his time here with Logan anyway, right?" The Garcias nodded. "Okay. If he's up to it, he can go home tomorrow. We'll still be keeping an eye on him when he comes and visits Logan. Does that sound good?"

Sylvia nodded. "Thank you so much. He'd really like that. I'll go let him know." Sylvia entered the room. The people from the outside watched as she talked to her son. They saw Carlos' face light up as he grabbed his mom and hug her. As she was leaving the room, the boys began talking to Carlos again. Kendall gesturing excitingly with his hands. "He's okay with it," she said with a smile once she was reunited with the other adults.

Once Dr. Spencer began walking away, Mr. Garcia's phone rang. Sylvia looked at him. "Honey, your phone has been ringing all day. What's wrong?"

He shrugged. "I honestly don't know. It looks like the squad's calling me but I told them that the only thing on my mind is Carlos. They can leave a message." He put the phone back into his pocket, and the parents walked into Logan's room, and joined their sons in conversation.

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><p><strong>I'm a simple girl. I don't ask for much. So as a welcome-back present, you can just leave a review. That'll make me a content girl. :D<strong>

**And slow your roll, just because everyone's all happy and and believing in miracles doesn't mean that they're out of the woods yet. There'll be more to come. *evil laughter* ;D**


	8. Phonecall For Mr Garcia

**I was freakin' out. I thought I had a bad case of...writer's block. *shudders***

**So this'll have to do. I wasn't too proud of this chapter, but oh well. At least the story begins to pick up a little bit.**

**Enjoy!...and remember that I still don't own BTR.  
><strong>

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><p>The Garcias took their son to the Palm Woods. Carlos smiled once the door opened. Various residents crowded around them once they saw Carlos. Guitar Dude, Tyler, even the the Jennifers and Mr. Bitters asked how he was doing. Questions like "What happened?" "How's Logan?" and "Are the guys who did this in jail now?" and various other questions were thrown at Carlos. Camille wasn't there. She was at another rehearsal, but planned to go to the hospital later.<p>

Carlos could have kissed the ground once he entered into 2J. Everything was exactly how they left it. Of course, since they were all at the hospital this past week, the apartment was barely used. Carlos quickly took a shower, threw on black jeans, a red graphic tee, and a pair of Vans. He was ready to dash out the door but his parents stopped him.

"Carlitos!" his mom called out. "I told you that you need to eat."

"Aw but Mom," Carlos began as his shoulders sulked. "I really wanna see Logan."

"I know," Sylvia replied as she headed into the kitchen. "But the doctors said that you need to be taking care of yourself. At least have a sandwich, okay?"

"Besides," Mr. Garcia added. "Eating here will be better than standing another day of hospital food. Right?" Sometimes Mr. Garcia felt like he was talking to a ten year old. Once Sylvia had made the sandwich, Carlos gratefully took it, and the family headed out to go to the hospital.

Once in the lobby, Carlos and his parents were approached by Kendall's little buddy. "Hey, Amirah."

She smiled awkwardly, remembering that she contributed...okay caused, Carlos' heart to stop. "Hey, Carlos. Mr. and Mrs. Garcia." She turned back to Carlos. "How ya doing?"

He shrugged. "Much better I guess. Now I'm just waiting for Logan to completely heal. I'll admit. I don't like the hospital. But Logan's awake so I gotta be there, you know?"

Amirah nodded. "Yeah, I know. I've been there." She paused for a bit. "Camille and I were gonna pay Logan a visit once she gets back. We should be there around three."

Carlos smiled. "Okay. I'll let Kendall and Logan know. I'll see you there, okay?"

"Okay," she said, smiling. "Oh and Carlos, about, you know...the text."

Carlos raised his hand. "Don't worry about it. I'm not mad. I was scared when that whole episode happened, but I'm okay now. That's all that matters."

Amirah felt relieved. "Yeah. Okay thanks, Carlos. See you later." She shuffled away. Glad that Carlos wasn't mad at her, actually it seemed like his parents weren't mad either. Her biggest fear now was facing Kendall.

On the way to the hospital, Carlos couldn't help but think about the awkward encounter he had with Amirah. He didn't want her blaming herself for what happened. He didn't want anyone to blame themselves for what happened. He realized that everyone was just trying to protect him, and Amirah was just a victim of "wrong place, wrong time". Carlos didn't realize they were in the hospital parking lot until her felt the car stop moving and saw his parents unbuckling their seat belts. He quickly followed suit as they walked inside, aiming straight for Logan's room.

The boys greeted the Garcias as they made their way into the room. A lively conversation between the boys broke out. So much that a nurse had to come in and warn Logan to calm himself down. "Sorry," James whispered as the nurse walked out the room. The boys' parents decided to give their sons some privacy, so they went out into the hallway.

"Oh, Amirah said that her and Camille are coming later this afternoon," Carlos said, noticing Kendall's facial expression.

"Amirah? Why?" Kendall asked, kind of annoyed.

"What?" James asked. "Nervous that your little girlfriend is coming?" James and Logan laughed.

Kendall rolled his eyes. "C'mon guys. The last time she tried to talk to me, Carlos ended up...you know!" He exclaimed while gesturing to Carlos.

"That's not her fault, Kendall," Carlos said. "She didn't know that I'd be the one with your phone. She didn't know that no one told me that Logie was in a coma. I'm not mad at her. You shouldn't be either."

"I'll think about it," Kendall said, with a stubborn attitude.

"Wow, Kendall," Logan said. "You care about us more than we care about ourselves." James and Carlos nodded in agreement.

Kendall's phone went off. He read his text and laughed. "Katie's spending the day with Kelly and Gustavo. Get this. She says that Gustavo wants to visit us...sometime."

"Sooo...never," Logan concluded.

"Until Griffin hounds him for a new song," James cut in. The boys shuddered when they imagined how much work they'll be getting once they return to the studio.

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><p>Mr. Garcia rolled his eyes as his phone began ringing again. It was work again. "Just answer it. See what they want," Sylvia said.<p>

He sighed, walked away from the group of parents, and reluctantly answered. "Hello."

His partner's voice was on the other line._ "I've been calling you for days!"_

"Well I've only been with my son after he got sent to the hospital," he responded sarcastically. "What's wrong, Elliot?"

Mr. Garcia heard his partner sigh. _"It's not good buddy. It's Rollins."_

"What about Rollins?"

_"He escaped from jail."_

"Elliot. Y-you can't be serious. When?"

_"A couple of days before you left. I don't know why it took them a few days to let us know."_ Elliot sighed. _"You arrested him. You did everything in your power to make sure Rollins got arrested. He hates you. He-"_

"I know. I know." Mr. Garcia cut him off and sighed. He didn't like where this conversation was going. "I have a feeling he's already struck." He glanced into the hospital room, seeing his son. Carlos was okay. Rollins didn't kill him. That's all that mattered.

_"What do you mean?"_Mr Garcia never told anyone at work what was wrong with Carlos when he and his wife hopped on a plane to LA. All he told them was that his son was in the hospital and he wouldn't know when he'd be back.

"Listen Elliot. I told you guys my son was in the hospital but I never said why. He and his friend were attacked. Carlos was stabbed...I don't want to assume anything, but what if it was Rollins?"

Elliot once again sighed. _"Keep your son and wife close, okay? I'll have me and the other guys track him down and see if he's even left the state. We won't rest until this guy is back in jail. You have my word."_

"Thanks, Elliot. Keep me posted." He hung up his phone and headed back to where his wife was seating. "Sylvia. We need to talk."

She nodded and they walked away from the group. "What's wrong?"

"That was Elliot." He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "That guy I arrested. Rollins. He escaped from jail."

Sylvia knew that Rollins absolutely hated her husband. She constantly received threats from his friends after he'd been arrested. She was just glad Carlos was already in LA and didn't have to go through that. "He threatened us again, didn't he?" Mr. Garcia nodded. "We have to tell Carlos. And this time. No hesitations."

They couldn't shake of the feeling that Rollins may have already gotten to Carlos and Logan was an unlucky bystander. They had to tell him. Now.

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><p><strong>Okay so there it was. A little short, I know. Sorry the boys didn't get to see a lot of action today.<strong>

** My biggest argument right now is this whole Amirah thing going on with Kendall. So in your review, after you tell me what you just absolutely loved, go ahead and tell me what you think about Amirah. :/ **

**In other words, I'm hinting to you: Review please!**

**(Go shawty, it's your birthday. We gonna party like it's your birthday. Gonna sip Bacardi like it's your birthday. And we don't even care if it's not your birthday!) Haven't heard that in a while. Bleh.  
><strong>


	9. Say What?

**I'm back! I've been trying to get more organized with...everything. Since I've gotten a little bit better, I was able to write up this chapter. XD**

**I decided to have some Logan/Camille in this chapter.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

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><p>The boys looked down at the ground after Mr. Garcia had informed them of what was going on. "I'm really sorry. And that goes to everybody." He stole a glance at Jennifer and Joanna.<p>

Carlos shrugged. "Papi. You shouldn't feel guilty for doing your job." He looked at Logan before continuing. "Besides, there were two guys that attacked us, not one. And they wore hoods so we couldn't see their faces. If anything, this could be a coincidence."

Logan nodded in agreement.

"We just want to make sure that you boys are safe," Sylvia said. "This man is sick, and he hates your dad."

Mr. Garcia couldn't help but feel a bit of fear for the boys. He was extremely close to his son, he loved Sylvia and Carlos more than anything. He began to love James, Kendall, and Logan as his sons as well. Kendall and Logan looked up to him as a father, seeing as how Kendall's father is dead and Logan's dad was always left unspoken.

Of course, Joanna and Jennifer were also scared. Joanna tried her hardest not to be mad at the Garcias, though, that was easier said than done. "So what do we do now?" she asked in a way that hid her conflicting emotions.

Mr. Garcia sighed. "There's not much that we can do. Elliot said he'd keep on the lookout. For now, all we can do is keep the boys, and ourselves, close."

The guys looked at each other. Were they just given instructions along the lines of "stick together"? That would be easy. It's something they do all the time anyway.

* * *

><p>Martin's phone call ended. He couldn't believe Carlos and Logan had recovered so quickly. No one could.<p>

Usually, an attacker wouldn't really care if his victims lived or not. But Martin, was definitely not a killer. Going to the community college was a mistake. Beating Carlos and insulting was a mistake. Stabbing the poor kid was definitely a mistake.

But that's what happens when you don't have a choice in the matter. When you owe an old "friend" a favor. When you get a call from your ten year old daughter crying. Crying because your old "friend" needed leverage. Crying because two strange men were pointing a gun to her head, ready to pull the trigger the second you say no. That's what happens when you've gone in too deep.

When he heard that Carlos and Logan were still alive, he quickly called his daughter, telling her that he loved her, and she should look the doors and windows and have her phone ready just in case someone tried to break in. Sure he sounded paranoid, but he couldn't risk it. He couldn't risk having his daughter be caught in the middle of all this just because of a little mistake he made a long time ago.

He jumped when he heard his phone ringing again. His heart was almost beating out of his chest when he saw the name in the caller ID. He tried to compose himself as he answered the call.

"T-tell me what you need. Just leave my daughter out of this."

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><p>Camille and Amirah had arrived. James and Carlos watched as Logan and Kendall began interacting with their girls. Camille was extremely happy that Logan had woken up. "I haven't been able to focus during rehearsals. I almost quit the part because I couldn't get my head on straight," she said to him. Her voice was barely over a whisper.<p>

Logan blushed. He gave his signature smile. "Well, I'm here now, thankfully. The guys said you were worried sick. Are you okay?"

Leave it to Logan to care about others and forget about himself. "I'm fine," Camille answered while nodding her head for emphasis. "I'm just really glad that you're okay."

Logan's friends could tell that the conversation between the two was becoming a little personal. "Hey Logan," Carlos said, interrupting the conversation between him and Camille. "We're all gonna head to the cafeteria. James and Kendall are getting pretty hungry."

Amirah, still a bit clueless as to why the sudden interruption occurred, was practically dragged out by Kendall. "We'll explain later," he whispered to her.

Once they were the only ones in the room, Logan spoke up once again. "Can I ask you something Camille?"

"Anything Logan. what's up?"

Logan sighed, not knowing how to continue. "Wh-when I was in a coma...what was going through your mind?"

Camille was afraid of where this was going. "What do you mean?" she asked nervously.

Logan didn't want to bring up everything he "heard" while he was in a coma. What if he had imagined everything Camille had said? What if she didn't want to go back to being his girlfriend? He chose to be subtle. 'You ever have those times in your life when you make a decision, and you always have this feeling of regret?"

"Everyone has that feeling." Logan noticed that Camille had said that last part a little low. her eyes drifted to the floor as she said it, like she was ashamed. "What's this about?"

Logan played with his fingers as he thought of what to say next. "I made one a few months ago. To this day, I still hate myself for it."

"Logan. Spit it out. What's wrong?"

Logan looked Camille straight in the eye. "Camille. D-do you st-still love me?"

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><p>Once they made it to the cafeteria, Amirah released herself from Kendall's grasp. "So...what was that about?"<p>

James rolled his eyes. "Couldn't you tell that Logan and Camille were having a moment?"

Amirah scoffed. "Duh. That's usually what boyfriends and girlfriends have."

Kendall sighed. "Amirah, can't you tell-wait. What'd you say?"

It was Amirah's turn to roll her eyes. "Logan and Camille. Boyfriend and girlfriend. What? You're friends with Logan and you didn't even know that they were together? What's up with that?"

Carlos leaned in closer to Amirah. "Who told you that they were together?" It was obvious that Logan and Camille still had feelings for each other, but they all knew that they hadn't been together since "the kiss".

Amirah hesitated in answering. "Camille." The boys' faces showed their amount of shock.

"What's she say?" Kendall asked.

"When I had first moved into the Palm Woods, I saw you guys and I asked Camille to tell me what you guys were like," Amirah began her story. "After that, she told me to stay away from Logan because he had a girlfriend. When I asked who, she pointed to herself...You mean they're not together?"

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><p><strong>Hmmm Okay, so that's not a cliffhanger. Didn't really wanna make one right now. Have I gotten rusty?<strong>

**Hope you liked it though. :D**

**You know what I like? Yup, you guessed it. Reviews! XD  
><strong>


	10. Brown Eyed Girl

**Okay, so I do admit that I think that my chapters have been getting a little off topic. Hmm maybe that's why the last chapter didn't get so many reviews. Sorry readers. Blame my ADD.**

**Anyway. On with the story. Enjoy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"Do you, Camille?" Logan asked again. Camille was silent. Logan sighed, knowing the answer was no. "Never mind," he said, feeling embarrassed. "It was stupid. Must be the head injury."<p>

Then, Camille did something he wasn't expecting. She cupped his face in her hands, and pulled him into a kiss.

"Um," a voice said in the doorway. Camille quickly separated from Logan.

"Mom!" Logan exclaimed, slightly embarrassed. His cheeks were turning red, he could feel it.

She stood there, slightly speechless. She finally spoke up. "Um...the urgency outweighs the awkwardness." Two cops walked in behind her. "They need you to tell them what happened. Mr. Garcia went to go look for Carlos. He should be here too."

"He's with the guys...getting some food," he said while periodically glancing at the cops. Logan knew that the possibility of the attack was a 50/50 chance, but would the police investigate something that just looked like a mugging gone wrong?

"Do you want me to leave?" Camille asked, a look of concern filled her eyes.

Logan shook his head and grabbed her hand. "I want you here." Logan's eyebrows scrunched together as a sudden pain filled his head. He put a hand on his head, hoping that no one noticed his sudden change in demeanor. Carlos and his father walking in served as a distraction.

Carlos approached Logan's bed. "Are we giving a statement?" His voice was full of disappointment.

Logan nodded. "Sorry, buddy." He patted Carlos' shoulder.

The two cops took a seat. The older one started the questions. "So we'll ask Logan what happened first." He turned to look Logan in the eyes. "Start from the beginning."

Logan inhaled deeply. He looked at Carlos and Camille before speaking. "I-it happened kinda fast. I was walking when I felt someone grab me. He pulled behind a few trees because Carlos was coming our direction. A-another guy punched Carlos in the face." Carlos subconsciously brought a hand to his jaw, where a healing bruise resided. Logan continued. "So I tried to attack him...but the first guy, the one that grabbed me, he caught me before I could do anything. He threw me on the ground and started ch-choking me. I thought he'd kill me but Carlos begged him to stop and he did. Then, the other guy pulled out a knife and st-stabbed Carlos instead." At that point, Logan had been practically babbling. He took a deep breath as he finished his statement. "Th-that's all I remember. I didn't see their faces."

The cop gave a reassuring smile. "You did great, kid." He turned to Carlos. "Do you have anything to add from that story?" Carlos quickly shook his head, hating to hear the recounting of that story. He had nothing else to say. What else could he add? _Oh by the way, Officer. After the guys stabbed me, they bashed Logan's head into the sidewalk, then ran away like little girls._

Wait. They ran. But into a car. Carlos had a light bulb moment. "Um, actually, I do." The officer urged him to speak up. "I-I don't know if this'll help or not, but when the guys ran away, they got into a car. It was blue. A Nissan hatchback, I think. It was dark, you know?"

Once again, the cop reassured him. "Every bit of evidence counts. That may help narrow our search down. You boys did good." He and his partner stood up to leave. "If you remember anything else," he pulled out a business card, "call the precinct. "Ask for Officer Sloan."

Carlos graciously took the card. "Thanks, Officer Sloan. We will." Mr. Garcia walked with the two cops as they walked out. Whatever he was saying, everyone knew that it was a secret between him and the cops.

Camille noticed Logan groan in pain. "Logan? Are you okay?" Once again, Camille's demeanor was laced with concern.

"Yeah," he lied, while shifting in a comfortable position on the bed. "Just a little tired, you know? I guess talking about that night just exhausted me." Logan looked Camille right in her eyes when he said that. His head was hurting, but he wouldn't want them worry.

"Maybe you need some sleep," Joanna said, not believing her son for a second.

Logan nodded. He didn't disagree with that. This headache was probably just from stress. Once he woke up, he'd be fine.

Once Logan had fallen asleep, Carlos and Camille left Joanna alone with her son. They sure enough, found Kendall, James, and Amirah right where Carlos left them. In the cafeteria. James flirting with the blond girl behind the cash register. Kendall and Amirah sat at a table, making fun of James and the food. It was all the same. Well, maybe not all the same. When Carlos left, there was an Asian behind the cash register.

Carlos and Camille approached Kendall and Amirah's table and sat with them. "Girl number two?" Carlos asked.

Kendall shook his head. "Three," he said while holding up three fingers.

Carlos raised one eyebrow.

"There was another girl," Amirah said. "She was selling desserts for some fundraiser." Amriah chuckled. "Dessert girl was girl number two."

Carlos rolled his eyes. Camille laughed.

"How was Logan. What happened during the whole questioning thing?" Kendall asked them.

Camille sighed. "We're worried about him." Kendall's big eyebrows rose. "He gave his statement, which went okay. He was a little shaken up. So was Carlos. But after the questioning, he just seemed a little off. He said he was just tired, but you know Logan."

Kendall sighed as he nodded. "Let's hope that for once, it's us overreacting, and him telling the truth." Usually, Logan was always quick to overreact to any injury his friends got, especially when they tried to hide it from him.

James approached the group with a sad look on his face and a meatball sub. "Someone's off their game," Camille said while smiling.

"I don't do well when I stressed!" James snapped, trying to defend himself. He took a big bite out of his oversized sandwich and gave his friends the evil eye.

* * *

><p>Martin was in his car. He was given another assignment, and the thought of him doing anything else to hurt those boys just killed him. But he had to keep his daughter safe. It's his fault that his daughter was pulled into this mess. It was his fault that those boys were in the hospital. Everything was his fault.<p>

He was told to head to the Palm Woods. The home of the future famous. Every teenager's dream.

He parked his car and sighed as he viewed the pictures and names related to his assignment, even though he was really after one person, Carlos Garcia. But his so-called friend told Martin to scare him a little by going after those close to him. Logan Mitchell. Check.

Kendall Knight and James Diamond were also on the list. Their picture taken of them from the Palm Woods park.

He headed to the park, hoping he'd know of what to do. He sat on the park bench, scanning the crowd of kids.

One person caught his eye. A small brunette girl with puppy dog eyes walking with her chubby red headed friend. She reminded him of his daughter. They were somewhat close to him, so he heard their conversation. Of course in would be about the boys.

"I've been to the hospital once," she said. "My mom doesn't want me there right now. Too much going on. I know cops were there today. I'm really scared for them you know. Especially after what Mr. Garcia said."

Garcia. That name started everything. "Hey kids," he called out to them. The girl looked to her friend, and hesitantly, they walked over to him. "I'm new here. Looking around," he lied. "You're close with Big Time Rush, right?"

They nodded. "I'm Kendall's sister," the brunette said.

"Oh yeah?" the man said, suddenly interested as if he didn't know that fact already. "And what's your name?"

"Katie," the girl said. "Katie Knight."

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><p><strong>Katie. What have we told you about Stranger Danger?<strong>

**Okay, hopefully I now put the story back on topic again, cuz if not, then wow that sucks. **

**Anyway. Don't be shy. Review! Reviews are amazing.**


	11. Flashback

**Who's ready for a new twist? *cricket cricket* Nobody? C'mon guys!**

**Well for those of you who were too shy to answer, here's the next chapter complete with a twist.**

**Enjoy!**

**By the way, February 6 (being one shot day and all) was awesome!  
><strong>

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><p>"What exactly is your plan here?" Martin asked Gavin over the phone. His trip to the Palm Woods was uneventful, seeing as how Katie kept the conversation short, not giving too much detail about her family. Gavin was after the cop's kid, not any of the Knights. At least, that's how it should have been. "It's like you're not even focusing on that Carlos kid anymore. You're after all of them. Why?"<p>

Gavin laughed._ "It's complicated. But don't worry about it. You'll find out in due time."_

Rage built up as Martin heard those words. "You've threatened my daughter's life more than once! You forcing me into this like it's some kind of game! I deserve to know something!"

Gavin started talking, just amuse Martin. _"Ten years ago, I went to jail, you know that."_

Martin grew impatient. "Well, duh. I remember that. You used me as an alibi."

_"I got out of jail for good behavior. Amazing, right?"_

"Yeah sure. Woulda been even more impressive if you hadn't been sent back. Where is this even going?"

Gavin rolled his eyes. _"You've seen those boys together. Now tell me, how long do you think they've been friends?"_

Martin sighed. "I don't know. I really long time it seems. What does this have to do about anything?"

_"Do you know the name of the man I killed?"_

Martin thought hard. Come to think of it, Gavin never told him. "No. Who?"

_"His name was William Knight...Officer Garcia arrested me...The Diamonds? Brooke Diamond happened to be assigned to jury duty on my case. Funny how the people's lives all intertwine, huh?" _Gavin chuckled as he thought about William Knight.

_Gavin Rollins and William Knight worked together for several years. They worked at a Pharmaceuticals company. Gavin had worked much longer than a lot of people there, and if anything, he was one of the company's best. William, on the other, was okay at his job, but slacked sometimes. He'd only worked there for five years when Robert Green, the branch manager called a meeting._

_Gavin felt that today was the day. Robert was too retire soon, and rumors floated around that he had chosen who would replace him._

_The office employees sat around the big conference table, anxiously waiting to hear what was to be said. "I have good news and some bad news," Robert said after welcoming everybody. "Well, I know everybody thinks the bad news is that I leaving, and I know it depresses everyone here." Everyone laughed, already missing the manager that had an amazing sense of humor and an all around good attitude. "But sadly, that's not the only bit of bad news," he continued, becoming serious. "I'm afraid that due to economic troubles, the branch has decided to let go of ten people from the entire company. Unfortunately, two of those people are in this office." Several gasps escaped people's mouths, and looks of horror spread across the room._

_"What's the good news?" Gavin asked, hoping to relieve some of the tension growing in the room._

_Robert smiled. "The good news is, the branch managers have agreed on who will replace me." He glanced at everyone in the room._

_Gavin knew it'd be him. He worked hard and devoted years into this company. It had to be him._

_"Mr. William Knight. Please stand up," Robert said. William looked around slightly shocked and confused. Robert gestured toward him and smiled. "Say hello to your new manager, William Knight." William's bushy eyebrow rose and his his green eyes shone with excitement. The office employees clapped for him. Except Gavin. Gavin just sat there in shock._

_"I-I don't know what to say," William said. "Thank you."_

_Robert handed him an envelope. "Take your wife out to celebrate." After thanking him, William opened the envelope to find slips of fancy paper with the name of a restaurant he could have never been able to afford._

_Jealousy in Gavin grew, and he eyed William with pure hatred._

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><p>"I can't believe Logan stayed asleep for that long," Kendall said as they all entered the Palm Woods. They left the hospital, seeing as how visiting hours were almost over, and the doctor stressed the importance of Logan getting as much rest as possible.<p>

"Wanna hang by the pool?" James asked, receiving shaking heads from everybody.

"We can go to my apartment," Amirah said. "My mom's currently away visiting family, so I have the entire apartment to myself."

"I like that idea," Camille said as her and Amirah led the way to the apartment.

Once they reached the elevator, they spotted Katie sporting a weird look on her face. Kendall was the first to notice. "What's up, baby sister?"

"Uh," she began as she looked around. "There's a new guy here. He was in the park..."

The alarms in Kendall's head went off. "K-Katie. Did he...?"

She shook her head, sensing the fear in her brother. "Nothing like that. He just wouldn't stop asking questions, you know? He kept asking about us. Every time I tried to leave or change the subject, he'd go back to asking about you, Mom, or one of the guys."

Kendall raised an eyebrow. He looked over to James and Carlos, who shrugged in response. "Well let me know if you see him again. Where're you going now?"

"To the apartment. Video games." Katie waved goodbye as she headed toward the vending machines.

"You don't think that guy has anything to do with...any of this, right?" Carlos asked, feeling suddenly paranoid.

Kendall slung his arm onto Carlos' shoulder. "I think everything's okay, buddy. Don't worry about him, okay?" Carlos nodded and smiled in response. Kendall wasn't too sure about the reassurance he'd just given to Carlos, but he knew one thing: If anyone hurt his sister, they'd be dead.

* * *

><p>Officer Sloan sat at his desk, tapping his foot impatiently. This case made him angry. Why anyone would want to hurt innocent teenage boys was beyond him, but handling things like this came with the job. He was lost in his thoughts when a single disk was dropped on his desk. He looked up to see Officer Rodriguez, his on and off partner, smiling at him.<p>

"Hey, Miguel," Sloan sighed out. He couldn't imagine what was on his partner's mind. "What's going on?"

"You're working on that case with the Big Time Rush boys, right?" Sloan nodded. "Did you know they had video cameras?" Sloan's eyes perked up. "One guy that works with the security, his daughter's a fan of Big Time Rush, so he was kinda motivated to actually try at his job."

"What are you telling me?"

Miguel scoffed. "That's the DVD from the camera in front of the school. Maybe it'll tell us something that the boys never mentioned."

Realization hit Sloan as he grabbed the DVD of his desk. "C'mon," he said as he and Rodriguez headed to the closest DVD player.

The clip played, showing everything Logan had already told them. As the video ended, Sloan picked up something. "Pause it," he told Miguel. The DVD was paused as the two attackers ran away...to their car. It was dark, but he could see two things: the car was blue, and it was a Nissan Versa. A hatchback. Sloan was good with cars, so it wasn't hard for him to deduce. "Looks like that Carlos kid was right," Sloan said to himself. He turned to Miguel. "You think the computer kid downstairs can help us get a license plate?"

Miguel smiled and slowly nodded. "I'm sure he can work his magic."

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><p><strong>Okay so there it was. Officer Sloan is slowly making his way into being a prominent character in my story...better watch that one.<strong>

**I roll my eyes at the thought of how much I suck with the whole "romance" thing...oh well. If romance happens in this story, it happens. If it doesn't? Then oh well.**

**Tell me what you thought!**


	12. Let's Eat!

**Okay here's an update. This is kind of a filler chapter, but we'll see :D**

**By the way: LONGEST CHAPTER I'VE EVER WRITTEN  
><strong>

**Enjoy!  
><strong>

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><p>"Gavin," Martin addressed the man sitting across from him. They met at a coffee shop not too far from the Palm Woods. "You know that Logan kid is getting discharged today." Gavin nodded. Martin looked down. "Three days ago, when you told me how the Knights, Garcias, and Diamonds were related to your case, you didn't mention Logan's family."<p>

Gavin snorted. "Whatdya want, a novel?" He took a sip from his coffee. "Hmm. Hazelnut is truly underrated. Anyway, it's sad that Logan and his mom had to get involved with all of this, it really is." Gavin smirked as he caught the bored expression coming from Martin. "But they brought him into it. And he's not getting out."

Martin rolled his eyes. "Look. These boys' parents ruined your life. Not the boys themselves. Why can't you just leave the boys alone and go after their parents?" Martin didn't like either idea, but he figured that going after innocent boys just because of their parents was much worse.

Gavin shook his head. "That's not good enough. You go after the parents, they're shaken up a bit. You go after their kids, they practically lose it." Gavin took another sip of his coffee. "You should know how that feels."

Martin became angry at that statement. "You used my daughter to get what you want. Don't ever mention her again."

Gavin nodded, glad he was able to prove his point. "Yes sir...as long as you stick with me."

There was silence between the two for a while. "So who's next?" Martin asked.

"James Diamond." Gavin smiled. "I wanna save Kendall for last. He'll die. Just like his father."

* * *

><p>"Carlos and James followed Amirah as she made her through the lobby. Of course, they were trying not to be seen by her.<p>

Amirah rolled her eyes and stopped walking. "Alright boys. The entire Palm Woods does NOT reek of corn dogs and Cuda man spray." She turned around.

James and Carlos appeared from behind fake plants. "Uhh hey Amirah," Carlos said as he and James brushed dust off their clothes.

James smiled. "How's our favorite-"

Amirah raised her hand to stop him from saying anymore. "What do you want?"

The two boys looked at each other. "You know Logie's coming back today," Carlos started. Amirah nodded.

"And we had a good time at your apartment three days ago," James continued.

"Your cooking was really good," Carlos said with a big smile.

"Logan would like it. Can you, you know, whip something up for him?" James finished.

She raised an eyebrow. "Logan's coming home in," she checked her watch. "Three hours. I can't finish before then. I gotta buy ingredients, too, ya know."

The two boys looked down. Then, Carlos lit up. "What if James and I help you? We'll help you shop. Make the food. Anything! We just wanna give Logie a good welcome back, you know?"

Amirah looked into Carlos puppy dog eyes and couldn't resist. She sighed, giving into defeat. "Fine. If we start now, we can have something decent by the time Logan comes."

James and Carlos high fived.

At the store, the three teenagers were quick in getting their food. All three separated, ran through the isles in search of their needed ingredients, and met back in the front.

"Thanks for helping out, you guys," Amirah told the two boys as the three of them as they exited the store.

Carlos felt his stomach grumbling angrily. He pulled on James' shirt. "Can we get a snack or something? I saw a hot dog stand near by. Can we get something.? Please?" He widened his eyes and pouted.

James was ready to fight, but couldn't say no to the small Latino's puppy dog eyes. He turned to Amirah. "Can we get a snack or something?"

Amirah checked her watch. "Yeah, we still got time. The food'll take a while to cook anyway."

They made their way to the snack cart. The man handling the cart had his back turned to the three. "Uh, 'scuse me," James called out to the man.

"How can I help you?" The man asked. His back was still turned to the boys as he fiddled around with his food and utensils.

"Can we get three hotdogs?" James responded. "With ketchup?"

Three hotdogs were placed before them. "That'll be $4.50." The man turned around, but his head was kept down as he opened the cash register. James paid and the man handed each one their individual hotdog. "You kids have a good day," the man called out as they left.

They were in the car almost to the Palm Woods when James said, "Now I know why I usually avoid food stands," James said as he looked at his half eaten hotdog with disgust. "This tastes so weird."

Carlos and Amirah looked at him. "Mine tastes just fine," Carlos said.

James shrugged. "Hm. Maybe it's just me." He continued driving.

"If you don't wanna finish it, I will," Carlos said with a smile on his face.

James shook his head. "Nah, I'm really hungry. It's not like it'll kill me."

* * *

><p>James, Carlos and Amirah were in her kitchen putting the finishing touches on her food when they heard a voice. "I see you guys missed me here."<p>

"Logie!" James and Carlos called out. They ran up to Logan and hugged him. Kendall and Camille were with him.

"Camille and Kendall said that before I do anything, I had to come here." He eyes the food on the table with greed. "And I'm glad I listened."

Camille led him to the couch. "You can have a seat here. I'll get a plate ready for ya." She winked at him as she walked to the kitchen.

"Thanks for helping us out," Camille said to Amirah.

Amirah shrugged. "No problem." She handed Camille a plate of food. "I had this ready for him."

Camille graciously took the plate and took it over to Logan. James and Carlos filled plates of their own quickly. They sat with Logan, Kendall, Camille, and Amirah on the couch.

"D-do you not like the food, James?" Amirah asked as she noticed him picking at his food.

James could hear the combination of hurt and worry in Amirah's voice. "No. No. The food's great. Really. I just guess I'm not that hungry," James admitted. He had started to feel a little nauseous when the food had started cooking.

"Are you feeling okay?" Kendall asked. James rarely got sick and when he did, it was usually pretty bad.

Camille leaned closer to him and felt his forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever."

"Maybe you should take a nap, James," Logan said. Logan had already forgotten about himself. All he could think about was James.

"That's a good idea," Carlos said as he nodded his head. "C''mon, James." Carlos began to stand up, but James stopped him.

"No. Don't worry guys. I'm fine." James didn't want Logan's dinner to be ruined just because of a little dizziness. Logan and Camille seemed really happy and Amirah had worked hard to make sure the food turned out right. He would feel really guilty if everything didn't end up the way everyone wanted. "Maybe that hotdog filled me up more than I thought it would." He smiled, and that seemed to ease everyone.

Kendall patted his shoulder. "Well if you don't finish your food, me and Carlos will."

James wished he had taken Kendall up on that offer. It took him a while, but he finally finished the food. Unfortunately, a few minutes later James found himself running to Amirah's bathroom, vomiting everything in his stomach.

_Oh great_, he thought to himself as everyone crowded around him. Carlos rubbed soothing circles around James' back.

After James was done dry heaving, Kendall helped him off the ground.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Carlos asked him.

James shrugged. He looked to Amirah. "Sorry, Amirah. The food was great. Promise."

"Let's get you to bed, James," Logan commanded. "You look like you could faint at any minute."

The boys thanked Amirah and cleared out. Camille stayed and helped clean up. "You're not gonna follow Logan?"

Camille shook her head. "Not yet. He's gonna be real adamant about taking care of James before he'll wanna do anything else. That's Logan for ya. Always worrying about people and forgetting about himself," she said with a smile.

"You sure have a good one, Camille," Amirah said as she dumped plates in the sink. "You think James'll be okay? Maybe I made the rice a little too spicy...?" she trailed off and shrugged.

Camille's eyebrows raised. "Yeah. The rice was a bit spicy."

Amirah shook her head. "That's probably why my mom said to never serve African food to white people. Especially Sudanese stuff."

Camille' mouth hung open. "Hey," she said, pretending to be offended. "Not all white people are wimps when it comes to spicy food!"

"I'll be the judge of that," Amirah said as she grabbed Camille by the arm. "Let's go see what's up with the boys."

* * *

><p>Martin sighed as he entered his hotel room. He plopped on the the bed, only to be greeted by the sight of Gavin coming out of the bathroom. Martin stood up. "How'd you get in here?"<p>

Gavin smiled as he sat down next to Martin. "Ma'am. I needa see my brother," Gavin said, pretending to be extremely frightened. "It's urgent and I needa talk to him face to face. He's not here? Well can I wait in his room til he comes? Please?" He laughed. "It's so easy nowadays."

Martin wasn't amused. "I'm assuming that you didn't just come to say hi. And I know you have nothing urgent to say. So. Why are you here?"

Gavin put on a sad face, seeing as how his sense of humor was only making his friend angry. "Fine. So quick with formalities, aren't ya?" Gavin raised his eyebrows in anticipation. "So...how'd it go?"

"How'd you know they would be there? At that store? Wanting a snack from that particular area? What possibly made you know that all those things would fall perfectly into place?" Martin asked, filled with curiosity.

Gavin shrugged. "I'm lucky?" Martin raised an eyebrow. "Wow, still no sense of humor. Maybe I needa brush up on my jokes..."

"Focus," Martin demanded.

"Whatever," Gavin carelessly waved his hand in the air. "Fine. I'll tell you. When you're after somebody, you can't just follow them. You've gotta get everybody else involved. That actress that's always around Logan, Camille, I can tell you schedule, right now. I can tell you who she's with, what auditions she tried out for. Everything."

"So...?" Martin replied, urging Gavin to continue.

"So I started doing a little research on the new girl at the Palm Woods. Her and Camille are always together and most of the time, they're both with Big Time Rush. I know she's mixed with two types of African, so she needs foreign ingredients when she cooks. What better store to go to than to World Hub? Everything they sell is imported from...other places." Gavin smiled. "Get what I'm saying?"

Martin nodded. "You're not gonna hurt these girls too, are you?"

"Don't worry about them. They'll be fine. I just needed them for information."

Martin didn't believe it. "That's funny. That's what you said when we first stared this whole thing. You said the only people to get hurt in this would be Carlos and Kendall. What happened to that?"

"I didn't consider the other two. But it's worked out so far, hasn't it?"

"The hotdog I gave to James. What was in it?" Martin asked, changing the subject.

* * *

><p><strong>Ha! You thought I'd finish this scene? Nope nope nope.<strong>

**But I hoped this chapter shed a little light on some stuff. XD**

**Tell me what you thought in your review! (Can anyone guess what was in the hotdog?)  
><strong>


	13. Venom

**This chapter frustrated to no end! GAH! *pulls out dread-like braids* Like really. I don't know what it is! I rewrote it like...601,757,982,795,564, times!...Okay that's a lie. But I did rewrite it a lot. X_X *sigh* Okay, now that my freak out moment is through, I'm uploading this chapter for you guys! I really really hope that it makes sense and that it's decent in general.**

**Thanks for reviewing goes to: **

**BTR'slovesong: Chanson's review made me sad. You no like spicy food? **

**loganswifey: You'll get part of your answer in this chapter...but only part**

**bubzchoc: You've reviewed like, every chapter. Thank you!**

**That's it XD I haven't gotten that many reviews lately, but I still appreciate the ones I get :D (I use too many emoticons)**

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><p><em>William Knight wrapped his hands around his wife's waist. "So. Dinner? I got that promotion two days ago and we haven't been able to go out. C'mon. Let's celebrate." Jennifer looked into the pleading green eyes of her husband. "I may have already called a babysitter and told her to come at 7:00." William chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck.<em>

_Jennifer raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Okay. Fine. We can go tonight." Jennifer hated leaving her kids, and since her husband worked a lot, she didn't leave the house that much._

_William smiled. "Great! Now go get ready. We're going to Guadinolli's."_

_Jennifer gasped. "We can't afford that place."_

_William pulled out two slip of paper from his pocket. "Promotion gift."_

_Jennifer smiled and started getting ready for their dinner. She knew that William would make sure this night would be special. He never let her down. She pulled out a red dress and black high heels. She would hate to come under dressed to a fancy restaurant like that. Embarrassing._

"Jennifer? Jennifer?" A familiar voice pulled her out of her thoughts. She snapped and saw Sylvia and her husband in front of her. "Are you okay?" Sylvia asked.

Jennifer nodded. "I-I was just thinking...How's James?"

"Asleep," Sylvia answered. "You should get some sleep too."

Jennifer sighed in response. "I can't."

The Garcias took a spot on the couch next to her. "Is something wrong, Jennifer?" Mr. Garcia asked.

Jennifer sighed. "I've just been really worried. About the boys. About us. And Kendall still doesn't know about...you know." She couldn't get herself to say it.

"Kendall was young when it happened." Sylvia tried to comfort her. She put a hand on Jennifer's shoulder. "There wasn't a good time to tell him. We all even forgot about him until Gavin was arrested again last year."

Jennifer turned to Mr Garcia. "If you say Gavin was the one who might have attacked Carlos and Logan, do you think he'll come after Kendall and Katie?"

The Garcias looked at each other. They didn't want to say anything that would scare her. Mr. Garcia began talking like a cop. "Jennifer, like I said, it hasn't been confirmed that Gavin is even the one that did that to Carlos and Logan," he hesitated before continuing. "But...if it was him, we...we can't put it past him." He saw Jennifer's eyes going watery. "But we're doing everything in our power to make sure our kids stay safe, okay? God help Gavin Rollins if I ever see him again."

Jennifer nodded in appreciation. Sylvia remembered one more thing. "But I think Kendall deserves to know who Gavin Rollins really is."

"I know," Jennifer acknowledged. "I think Kendall still has nightmares about finding his dad dead at home. There was blood everywhere." The Knights ended up moving out of that house. It was impossible to stay there. Kendall was only seven at the time. No one believes that he fully recovered from that day.

They never told Kendall the name of the man that killed his father. He never asked, and Jennifer didn't ever want to think about Gavin ever again. One thing Kendall did know, was Gavin's face. He'd seen Gavin's arrest on TV.

The news caption held the words, "Killer of William Knight Arrested." Jennifer saw her son begin to have a breakdown in the living room. She had to quickly turn off the TV as she held her son close.

There was a trial, of course. But Kendall didn't go. Since Kendall and Jennifer walked into the bloodied house at the same time, what Kendall saw, Jennifer saw. Her testimony was enough. Kendall and Katie were left home with a babysitter.

Jennifer still can't believe that Kendall had gone this long without knowing who killed his father.

Exhaustion was evident on Jennifer's face. "We'll be by your side when you tell him. When you tell him and Katie." Sylvia said to her. Jennifer smiled. "But right now, you need to get some sleep."

Jennifer stood up, ready to head to her bedroom. "Thanks, you two. I'll need all the help I can get."

Once Jennifer had left, the Garcias pulled out the bed from the couch. They quickly went to sleep. The recent events still plaguing their minds.

* * *

><p>"D-Dad. Wake up. Please wake up." The next morning, Mr. Garcia felt someone gently shaking him. Only to realize it was his son's hand. His son's voice. He sensed the worry coming from his son, which made him wake up quickly.<p>

"Carlos," he said as he rose from the bed. "What's wrong, mijo?"

Carlos' face was etched with worry, and it looked like he'd start crying any minute. "I-It's James. Something's wrong."

Mr. Garcia sprang up from the bed, waking up his wife. "What's going on?" she asked, still half asleep.

Carlos didn't respond as he pulled his father into the room shared by him and James. Kendall and Logan were in the room also. James was awake, but barely, and it was clear he wasn't doing too well. James was shivering, but covered in sweat. That was bad, but that wasn't what had worried them the most. Everyone could hear James' breathing, and they could tell that every breath he took in was a struggle. Every few minutes, his arms or legs would spasm and James would gasp with pain. "Oh my God," Sylvia gasped as she walked in. She ran to Jennifer's room to wake her up.

"He's burning up," Logan said as he felt James' forehead.

"We needa get him to a hospital," Mr. Garcia said as he made his way over to James. They saw James body convulse as he emptied his stomach contents on the floor. He gave everyone an embarrassed look.

Jennifer handed the keys to the van to Mr. Garcia as she entered the boys' room. "We can't all fit in the van," she said as she tried to keep calm.

"Don't worry," Mr. Garcia said as he took the keys. "I'll take the boys in the van. All of you can stay here." Jennifer nodded as Kendall picked up James bridal style. "Let's go," Mr. Garcia commanded the boys as everybody ran out of the apartment.

In the van, Kendall sat in the backseat, allowing James's head on his lap. "K-Kendall," James voice was barely above a whisper. " 'm c-cold."

"It'll be okay, James," Logan said from his seat in the middle row of the van. "You probably just have the flu." Logan didn't even believe himself. No flu should be this bad. James didn't look good at all. "J-just hang on, buddy."

Kendall, Carlos, and Logan sat in the van in disbelief. They were rushing to the hospital, a place they wished they didn't have to go to again anytime soon.

James lost consciousness soon after, but they were close to the hospital by then, so they didn't feel a need to try to wake him up again.

Once they had entered the hospital, James was snatched from Kendall's grasp, put on a gurney, and whisked away.

* * *

><p>That night, the boys went home, James included. Honestly, they were all freaking out. "I-I'm gonna get some sleep, okay guys?"<p>

"Are you sure you're okay James?" Logan asked. James was keeping a calm front, but his best friends saw right through it. James nodded. "Okay buddy. Well if you need us..." Logan trailed off.

"Thanks man." James made his way to the shared room he had with Carlos.

Camille and Amirah made their way to apartment 2J. Camille rapidly knocked on their door. Carlos answered the door. "Yes?" he answered the door, a little agitated.

"How's James?" Camille asked, ignoring Carlos' tone. Carlos invited the two girls in, seeing that they were genuinely concerned.

Logan and Kendall plopped on the couch.

"The good news is, he was brought in on time..." Kendall began. He sighed as he continued. "The bad news is. He was poisoned."

Gasps came from the two girls. "H-How was that even possible?" Amirah asked.

"I'm not sure," he answered. "But the doctors ran some tests on him, and the poison seemed to be administered about ten to twelve hours before we sent him to the hospital."

Everyone looked to Logan, who looked like he was counting in his head. "8:00PM sound about right?" Kendall shrugged and nodded. "When we were at Amirah's..." Logan trailed off. Everyone's eyes shifted towards the accused musician.

Amirah's eyes widened as she raised her hands as if surrendering. "Everything I use to cook is all natural. I swear." Amirah looked toward Carlos. "But..."

"James said his hotdog tasted funny!" Carlos blurted out, suddenly remembering the incident. Carlos began gesturing wildly. "We went to go pick up ingredients with Amirah yesterday. You know, for the dinner we had for Logie! I got sooooo hungry so we stopped at a hotdog stand...but why would a guy selling hotdogs wanna hurt James?"

"What was he even poisoned with?" Camille asked.

Logan sighed. "Th-they found small traces of arsenic."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so there it is. No matter how many time I tried to fix it, it always ended up the same way. Ugh! Anyway, was this chapter okay? I plan to put in one or two more flashbacks to show what happened to Kendall's dad...well in detail.<strong>

**Hopefully something will hit on how I coulda improved this chapter, therefore making me commit it to memory, so I won't make that mistake again. Can you guys spot it, or am I just being paranoid?**


	14. No Walk in the Park

**Here it is!**

**Wow...I have nothing to say...should we be worried?**

**Sorry if this seems a bit short.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Gavin knew that poisoning James wouldn't be that hard. The Palm Woods was one of the easiest places to spy on anybody. It was simple. Gavin was to stay at the Palm Woods lobby, where James was always discussing plans on where he wanted to go next. Of course, being two teenage boys in a temporary residence hotel, they would never suspect a stranger sitting in the lobby conveniently reading a newspaper.<p>

Once that was done, it was all a matter of chance. Gavin sent Martin a text. "Get ready. They're heading to World Hub market."

The rest is easy. Once at the stand, Martin made sure he had his tiny container of arsenic, which was deposited to one of the hotdogs.

Gavin looked over to Martin. He was still mad, Gavin could tell. "So Kendall's next," Gavin said, breaking the silence. "Think he'll remember me when I see his face?"

Martin shrugged. "Gee I don't know," he replied sarcastically. "I mean. You only killed his father, depriving him of a male role model. You only killed his father in a gruesome way that was sure to give nightmares to the boy for life, I sure."

Gavin chuckled as he listened to Martin rant. He vividly remembered the hatred he felt for William. The satisfaction of knowing that William would no longer be in his life. The sound of repeated gunshots. "He didn't turn out too bad. Look at him. Heading a band, taking care of his mom and his sister. If anything, he owes me. I taught him how to take on responsibility."

"You ruined his life," Martin replied sharply. "And you're still not done yet." He scoffed. "It's like you've gone crazy with revenge."

"It's made me smart."

Martin rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe what he 's hearing. "Gavin. If you know what's good for you, stop now."

Gavin slowly shook his head. "We're too far in. I need to finish, and that's by getting Kendall. Carlos was lucky he survived, but Kendall, I'll make sure that he doesn't." He gave Martin a small smile. "I think now would be a good time to send Jennifer Knight a little warning. Whatdya think?"

* * *

><p>Kendall always felt a need to protect everyone he cared about. His sister, his mom, and his best friends. The death of his dad scarred him, no doubt about that. Kendall hoped that just maybe if he protected everyone he cared about, they'd all be fine. Logan and Carlos were always protected from any bully who dared to cross path with the hockey heads. James, he could take care of himself, but there was always a voice in the back of Kendall's mind that always said "what if...?"<p>

Now, Kendall couldn't help but think that he had failed his friends. Letting Carlos get stabbed. Letting Logan's head be bashed in on a sidewalk. Now James got poisoned. Kendall sighed as he continued to stare into the distance at Palm Woods park.

"Kendall!" Amirah's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Um. Are you okay? You seem a bit...off..." she trailed off.

Kendall snorted. "Off? Psht. What would give you that idea?" he asked while trying to play it cool.

"Uh, well. I called your name four times before you responded. What's going on?"

"Nothing just thinking. What are you doing?" he asked as she took a seat next to him.

She scrunched her eyebrows together. "Sitting?"

Kendall folded his arms, avoiding her gaze. "Well whatever you have to say, save it."

"Now that's not fair," she asserted. "From what Carlos tells me, you're always the one giving speeches randomly." Kendall raised an eyebrow. "Don't deny it. Anyway all I wanted to say was that you shouldn't always put up a strong front about everything. It's okay to break. You have people to talk to. Take advantage."

"Your dad," Kendall said after being silent for a while. He was still avoiding eye contact. "You live here with your mom, but you never mention your dad."

"Neither do you," Amirah replied. She sighed seeing as how Kendall didn't plan on letting this go. "Car accident...yours?"

Kendall chuckled. "My mom dropped this huge bomb on me. Long story short, Mr. Garcia arrested a guy multiple times. He escaped from jail. Turns out that this guy, is the same one that k-killed my father. According to Mr. Garcia, this Gavin Rollins guy," Kendall said his name in disgust. "May want to finish what he started if you know what I mean."

"I'm so sorry," Amirah empathized. She put her hand on his shoulder. "You're mad at them, aren't you?"

"I'm pissed," Kendall replied sharply, surprised at how much of this he was talking about.

"And you have a right to be...but this would be a good time to talk to them. Let them know how you feel," she reasoned. "If anything, you guys need each others help more right now."

Kendall shook his head. "My mom, the Garcias, and Mrs. Diamond all lied to me."

"But it's not James, Carlos, or Logan's fault. The four of you need each other. Sometimes, they don't need you. But right now, you need them."

Kendall finally looked to Amirah. "You're saying that I should forget everything?" Kendall's voice was slightly elevated.

Amirah shook her head. Before she could say more, a voice screamed for Kendall.

"Katie?" Kendall whispered as he turned around.

His little sister was running towards him, looking confused and a little scared. She came around the bench and sat on his lap. "H-he was here."

Kendall started to panic. "K-Katie. Who was here?"

She pulled out an envelope from her pocket. "Gavin Rollins. It has to be. This was handed to Mr. Bitters to give us."

Kendall scanned through the contents of the envelope. A newspaper article from ten years ago. The small story entitled, "William Knight Murder". As Kendall continued reading, he saw a line that caught his eye. "William Knight is survived by his wife, Jennifer Knight, and his two kids, Kendall Knight, 7, and Katie Knight, 1." Kendall did a double take. The name "Kendall Knight" was circled in red.

"Look at this," Amirah said, handing him a more recent newspaper article. "It's about Carlos and Logan's hospitalization. Kendall sighed, reluctantly reading it.

"He wants you Kendall," Katie stated, putting her arms around her brother's neck. She didn't want to lose him. She couldn't lose him. There were pictures of the crime scene from Dad's murder...What if he..." Katie stopped herself, angry at herself for letting her mind come up with that possibility. Kendall can't die.

"That's not gonna happen, Katie," he promised. He pulled out one slip of paper from the envelope. "but...we're gonna have to show Mom."

_Like father, like son._  
><em>The game has began.<em>  
><em>-Great Rhetoric<br>_

* * *

><p><strong>Be on the look out for my anti bullying one shot for March 3!<strong>

**But until then...read this story and review! (i'm so close to 100) I'm taking requests because I'm still debating where this is going exactly.**


	15. Bledsoe

**Okay, so here's another chapter that I practically went bald doing. (my dread/braids aren't liking me right now.) Sorry if it seems short...okay it _is_ short.**

**I hope the beginning of this chapter is angsty enough.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em>William slowly backed away from his angry coworker. "H-how'd you get in Gavin?" William asked. He didn't know how Gavin snuck in, but he saw the gun in Gavin's hand and was glad Jennifer took the kids grocery shopping. He couldn't risk anything happening to them.<em>

_Gavin rolled his eyes, ignoring the question. "I devoted my life to that company, and you waltz in taking the spotlight," he began his rant. "Not only did I **not** get that promotion, but I lost my job!"_

_William flinched as Gavin angrily gestured while waving the gun around. "I-I'm really sorry, Gavin." His green eyes pleading with Gavin to not kill him. "I can't imagine how upset you are," he said with all sincerity._

_Gavin snorted. "No, you don't! Because your wife didn't leave you and take your kids away, now did she?"_

_William shook his head. "I didn't know Robert Green was gonna fire you. I'm really sorry."_

_"You're only sorry because there's a gun in your face." He kept a steady aim. "Any last words?"_

_William felt his eyes tearing up. He nodded. "J-just don't hurt my family,"_

_Gavin fired his gun. All six rounds. He ran out of the house, glad that the source of the start of his pitiful life was finally gone._

_An hour later, Jennifer, Kendall, and Katie returned from the store. "But Mooom," Kendall whined as they exited the car and approached the front door. "If we don't cupcakes with our dinner I could die of starvation."_

_Jennifer shook her head as she carried Katie with one hand and found her house key with the other. Kendall offered and took the house key. "Dad we're back!" he shouted as he opened the door. When the door was completely opened, Kendall gasped and froze. Jennifer did the same as she saw the sight in the living room._

_"K-Kendall," Jennifer whispered to her son, hoping he would turn away from the gruesome sight. Instead, Kendall ran over to his dad and began shaking his dead body._

_"D-Dad," he cried. "Daddy!_

_When Jennifer saw the blood splattered on the wall and the multiple blood stains on William's clothes, she knew he was gone. She approached her son and dead husband. "H-he's gone, Kendall," she whispered as she cried._

_Kendall turned to the side and began throwing up. Jennifer rubbed Kendall's back. She knew they had a long way ahead of them.  
><em>

* * *

><p>Kendall was dead tired. For many nights in a row, nightmares of his father's death plagued his sleep. It came to the point where he just stopped sleeping, afraid of what images his mind would play when he closed his eyes.<p>

He sat on the dining table and stared at the clock. 3:30AM. Kendall was glad no one was usually awake when he was, he didn't want to worry anybody. But today, someone woke up and caught him. It was Katie.

"H-hi big brother," she said.

Kendall noticed that there was something off about her voice. He put her on his lap. "What's wrong, baby sister?" he asked.

"I'm worried," she quickly responded. "I keep waking up." She laid her head on his chest.

"Don't be afraid." Kendall ran his fingers through her hair. "Gavin will have to kill me in order for him to get to any of you guys," he said softly.

That was the wrong thing to say. He felt Katie's body stiffen. "Th-that's what I'm talking about." She held her brother tighter. "I don't want him to hurt you."

"Katie. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." He sighed. "He won't get to any of us, okay?"

Kendall felt Katie nod against his chest. "Kendall. What was he like?"

"Who?" he asked.

"Dad. What was he like?"

Kendall only knew one word to describe what his father was like. "Awesome," he said, smiling.

"You look a lot like him...minus the chin," Katie pointed out, having seen only pictures of their dad.

Kendall nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Mom says I act like him too."

"Then he really was awesome." Katie responded.

* * *

><p>"Hi Papi," Carlos said to his dad who was sitting on the orange couch looking at old newspapers. "Whatcha doing?"<p>

His father sighed. "Nothing mijo, just doing some research."

"About Gavin?" Mr. Garcia nodded. "If Gavin was the guy who attacked us...who was the second guy?"

Mr. Garcia shrugged. "That's what I'm hoping to find out."

"Whoever these guys are, th-they know that we live here," Carlos said, sounding very afraid. "We were followed to the store, Mrs. Knight was sent old newspapers about Mr. Knight's death. Why are they messing with us like this?"

Before a response could be given, someone knocked on their apartment door. Carlos ran to answer it. "Officer Sloan," Carlos addressed the older man. He invited him in.

Officer Sloan made himself comfortable on the couch. "I may have some good news," he began. "That car that your son pointed out, we found an owner." he smiled. "Martin Bledsoe."

Katie, Kendall, and James walked into the apartment right after he announced the name. "What's going on?" Kendall asked.

Officer Sloan reached for the folder he walked in with and pulled out a photo. "We're assuming this man works with Gavin Rollins." He noticed the Knights flinched at the name. He handed Kendall the photo.

James and Carlos huddled around Kendall. "He has the same hair color as the guy that sold you the bogus hotdog!" Carlos said to James. He then turned to the officer. "Sorry, we never got his face. Again!"

Katie reached for the picture. When she gasped, Kendall's heart skipped a beat. "Katie! What's wrong?"

She continued studying the picture. "Remember the guy I told you about that said he was new here and he kept asking about you, me, and Mom?" Kendall nodded. "That's him." Katie never told Kendall that she had seen again. Multiple times. She didn't want to worry him.

James turned to Katie. "You sure he didn't try to...d-do anything, did he?" If James felt he was this worried, he could only imagine how worried Kendall was right now.

Katie quickly shook her head. "I swear he didn't try anything. H-he seemed really sad."

"That doesn't matter if he was sad or not," Kendall said as his fingers curled into his fists. "He shouldn't even try to come near you. I gonna kill that man," he threatened, forgetting that two cops were in the room.

"We're gonna find Martin Bledsoe first." Officer Sloan stood off the couch. "I'm sure he has all our answers."

* * *

><p>"My source tells me that we've been found out," Gavin said to Martin in his motel room.<p>

Martin raised his eyebrow. "What?"

"Cops saw your car from the night we attacked those two boys," Gavin explained. "Katie ID'd you as the creeper that tries talking to her!"

"How do you know all this stuff?" Martin asked, still not able to fathom Gavin's sources of information.

Gavin smiled and shrugged. "Not important," he said, returning to all seriousness. "You're slipping up."

"I'm slipping up? I'm doing most of your dirty work!"

Gavin nodded. "Your right." He fiddled with his fingers as he stared around the room. "Maybe it's time to do my job? I'll get Kendall myself."

* * *

><p><strong>Get Kendall yourself? Hmm does Gavin want this to be a kidnapping fic?<strong>

**Hey...where was Logan?...Okay. I'll say he's with Camille. **

***puts finger to the side of my head* I sense bad things in the future. (Haha anyone out there watch Psych? Oh the hilarity.)**

**Anyway. I love Psych, but you know what I love just as much? Reviews :D so don't forget to leave one.**


	16. Dance Party!

**Y'all ready for this?**

**I don't own BTR...or Flo Rida's song "Good Feeling"  
><strong>

**Enjoy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Kendall actually enjoyed rehearsal for once. It really helped take his mind off the current situation plaguing the boys' lives. Kendall danced his heart out as Elevate played in the studio. He looked to his three best friends and saw that they were doing the same thing. This was the best distraction the boys had received in a long time.<p>

"That was X-cellent!" Mr. X exclaimed with a large smile on his face. "Keep dancing like that, and you'll be X-perts in no time."

The boys thanked him, also carrying large smiles on their faces.

"Now," Mr. X said. "Gustavo and Kelly need to see you. They say it's urgent."

The boys looked at each other, not knowing how to comprehend the words "Gustavo" and "urgent" in the same sentence.

They slowly walked to Gustavo's office. "Gustavo," Kendall addressed the man sitting at his desk. "You wanted to see us?"

Gustavo nodded and looked at Kelly. "Here's the thing dogs," Gustavo spoke up. "Listen, Mrs. Knight has been briefing me on everything that's been happening with you boys."

Kendall rolled his eyes. There went his distraction. "Where's this going, Gustavo?"

Kelly cut in. "Since Gustavo does NOT know how to say this, I'll say it. We're worried about your safety. I know we promised you boys a promo party tonight...but we're gonna cancel it."

James' eyes widened. "No! You cannot cancel the party!"

"We can't attract any unnecessary attention until further notice," Kelly tried to reason with the boys. "We want to make sure all of this blows over before we can do anything big."

"You know what?" Kendall snapped. "I'm tired of all of this. That Gavin Rollins guy has always controlled my life. He kills my father leaving me with the pain of that! I've been the closest thing to a father that Katie has ever had! He took away my mom's husband. He almost took Carlos, Logan, and James away from us! I can't let him take away everything else!"

Logan put his hand on Kendall's shoulder. "Buddy, maybe they're right. This guy's threatening you. He got to us three, we don't want him getting you."

"You think Gavin would have the guts to try anything in a crowded area?" Kendall challenged.

"Actually," Logan said. "The fact that we're in a crowded area would be a good chance for him. If he does anything to you, it may be a while before anyone notices that you're gone. He can easily sneak in and blend in with the crowd."

"Logan's right, Kendall," Gustavo said. Logan raised his eyebrows in amazement, seeing as how Gustavo never agreed with him.

James sighed, not thinking about that possibility. "They're right, Kendall."

Kendall gasped. "No, James! You wanted this party more than anything!"

"It's not worth it putting your life in danger," James said while shaking his head. "There will be other parties. Cancelling one won't kill me."

Kendall sighed, about to argue again, but Carlos stopped him. "We can't stand you being hurt, Kendall." Kendall looked at Carlos' sad big eyes and pouting lips.

"But our band needs this party," Kendall said, slightly lower than his normal voice.

Logan could tell that Kendall wasn't willing to budge...unless he used a different approach. "Katie would be worrying about you and you know it. We can all stay home tonight."

Kendall sighed again. Katie had been totally attached to Kendall for the past week. She followed him around at the Palm Woods all the time. Even Kendall leaving for the studio was hard for her. Kendall had to reassure her that he'd be back. He'd send her a text during breaks at the studio, just to make sure she was okay. Kendall had Mr. Garcia promise that he'd make sure Katie was okay and that she shouldn't talk to anymore strangers.

"I-I kinda told her she could come along," Kendall, hoping that he could win this battle.

Logan, James, and Carlos looked at each other, then to Kelly and Gustavo. No one really knew what to say. Gustavo sighed. "Fine," he blurted out. "The party will hold...but only if you boys let Freight Train watch you like a hawk!"

"Deal," the four boys said. They seriously meant it. They weren't going to allow anything to happen to anyone of them.

* * *

><p>"Thanks for coming with us," Logan said to Camille and Amirah in the limo as he adjusted his gray vest.<p>

The boys were psyched for this party, and glad that Katie was allowed to come. "Thanks for letting me tag along, big brother," Katie said quietly to Kendall. Kendall gave her a small smile and put his arm around her.

Carlos and James were practically jumping up and down. They were going to find dates. Tonight. "I call dibs on Griffin's niece," James whispered to Carlos. Griffin had told the boys that his niece was coming to LA to visit him, and she came conveniently the same day as the party.

Carlos crossed his arms. "Fine," he mumbled with a frown on his face.

The limo pulled up in front of the studio. Already they could see the lights coming from the building. Several cars and limos were parked in front of the building.

As soon as they walked into the studio, they were bombarded with several fans and partners of Griffin.

"Dude!" James exclaimed. "I can already tell this party's gonna rock!" He began dancing to the music, enjoying the sound of Flo Rida's "Good Feeling".

"Hey," Carlos said as James danced away from them. "How come their not playing any of _our_ music?"

"Because," Gustavo answered from behind. The boys jumped as they turned around to face Gustavo. "You boys will be singing a few songs tonight!...So be ready!" Gustavo walked away, leaving the boys a little confused.

"We'll go look for James," Logan said, indicating him and Camille. He would always glance at the entrance, sighing in relief when he saw Freight Train standing there.

The M.C. walked on stage. It was a black man, wearing a nice black button up shirt, blue jeans, and expensive Nikes. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Let's give it up for BIG TIME RUSH!" The crowd began clapping, and the boys quickly ran on stage. The M.C. continued talking. "These boys have made it so far. They got two albums out and they've given some of the best concerts. They're moving on up! So let's let BTR take the floor!"

The four boys stood on stage and huddled together, their backs to the crowd. "So what song first?" James asked.

"Elevate" Kendall said. "We might as well."

"Continue with The City is Ours," Logan suggested.

"Wow the fans with Music Sounds Better With U," Carlos continued.

"And finish off with Big Night," James finished.

The boys put their hands in the middle. "Let's do this," Kendall said.

The boys sang and danced like it was the end of the world. Kendall would continuously steal a glance at Katie, making sure she was okay and comfortable. He relaxed when he saw her dancing with Camille and Amirah.

_"Oh oh! It's gonna be a big night. We're gonna have a good time. It's gonna be a big big big big big big night!"_ The boys finished off their song. They bowed to the crowd, enjoying the cheers they received from them.

Katie cheered for her four brothers. "I'm gonna get some punch," she told the girls. She headed to the drink table and poured herself a glass. She looked around the room and gasped as she saw a familiar figure standing close to the entrance. Martin Bledsoe. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach.

She threw her cup of punch in the trash and ran back to Amirah and Camille. Kendall and Logan approached them. Kendall instantly saw the look on Katie's face. "Katie. What's wrong?" Kendall asked as he pulled her closer to him.

She glanced at the entrance again. This time, Martin was gone. _Maybe it was all in my head_, she thought.

"N-nothing I-I just don't feel well," she stuttered as she lied through her teeth.

"Maybe you just need some air," Kendall suggested. "It _is_ getting kinda stuffy in here."

"Th-thanks," Katie replied as Kendall led her out. They slipped past Freight Train, who was receiving instructions from Gustavo.

Once they were outside, Kendall had to make sure that nothing was wrong with Katie. "Are you sure you're okay? We can go home or-"

"I'm fine, Kendall," Katie interrupted. They were silent for a while before Katie spoke again. "You guys did great."

Kendall shook his head. "That was nothing." He sighed. "I'm just glad that this party...and...just being here at Rocque Records is a great way to get my mind off some things, you know?"

Katie nodded. "We should head back inside," she suggested. She felt a chill down her spine, but brushed it off as paranoia. She squealed as an arm wrapped around her waist. "Kendall!" she yelled before a cloth was placed over her mouth. She held her breath as much as she could.

"Katie!" Kendall cried out before another man came behind him and put a cloth over Kendall's mouth. Kendall saw Katie's movements slow down as the chloroform took its effect on her. Kendall fought the man behind him, swinging his fists and scratching his attacker's face and neck.

"Gavin's back," Kendall heard his attacker whisper before everything went black.

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><p><strong>Kendall's reaction to Katie's kidnapping in Big Time Movie, was epic. <strong>

**I love reviews! :D  
><strong>


	17. Awakening

**Enjoy!  
><strong>

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><p>"Where's Kendall?" James asked Amirah as he and Carlos approached. "We needa take pictures!"<p>

Amirah shrugged. "He went off somewhere with his Katie." She looked around the room. "They never came back."

"Is everything okay?" James asked, his voice laced with concern.

"I think Katie got sick," Amirah answered.

"I'll go see if they're okay," Carlos offered. He ran out into the hallway and called Kendall's phone. It went to voice mail. He tried Katie's phone, and sighed when he got the same result. He ran to Gustavo's office. Empty. The dance studio. Empty. The recording studio. Empty.

He finally went outside. He gasped when he saw the sight in front of him. "Katie!" he yelled upon finding Kendall's baby sister passed out on the concrete floor. He ran to her sleeping form, falling on his knees once he reached her. "C'mon Katie! Wake up! Please!" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. He then noticed another thing. Kendall was nowhere to be seen.

He pulled out his phone and called Logan. He screamed into the phone after Logan answered. "Logan! Come out quickly! Please!"

Logan had a mini heart attack. He wasted no time in coming, hearing the way Carlos' voice shook over the phone.

He grabbed James and ran outside. "Oh my God," Logan breathed out after seeing Katie on the ground. He knelt beside her and was relieved to see that she was still breathing. He whipped out his phone and dialed 911 as James and Carlos tried to wake Katie up.

"Where's Kendall?" James asked Carlos, who just shrugged as his eyes watered. "Oh no," James breathed out as realization hit him. Kendall wouldn't just leave Katie out here, unconscious or not. The only way Kendall would leave Katie was if someone used force.

"He was kidnapped," Logan whispered as if he read James' mind. His eyes widened. "He got him. That monster got Kendall!"

* * *

><p>Katie woke up in a white room and a very uncomfortable bed. She had no recollection of leaving the party ending. She wasn't in the casual clothes she had worn to the party, She panicked, seeing as how she was in an unfamiliar place. Until she realized something important. <em>I'm in a hospital.<em>

She looked to her right and saw her mom sleeping in a chair. "Mom," she croaked out, surprised at how bad her voice sounded.

Jennifer practically jumped at the small voice of her child. She gasped. "K-Katie." She pulled her daughter in a hug. "I'm glad you're okay, sweetie."

"What happened?" she asked.

Jennifer had a scared look on her face as she released Katie. "You don't remember what happened at the party?"

Katie felt a tear fall from her face. "I-I was hoping it was just a bad dream." She looked down and swallowed the lump in her throat. "Where is he?"

"W-we don't know," Jennifer responded. Her voice cracked, already knowing that Katie was asking for big brother.

"It's all my fault," Katie whispered. "Kendall took me outside because I started freaking out." She hesitated before continuing. "I saw him at the party. Martin. Martin Bledsoe was there and I didn't tell anybody!"

Katie could only think that Martin wanted to be seen. He wanted to raise a panic.

"We'll find Kendall," Jennifer said. She didn't know if those words were meant to comfort Katie or reassure herself.

* * *

><p>Everyone else was at the apartment. It was getting late, but no one could sleep. Thinking about Kendall was messing with their minds right now.<p>

"We shoulda known something was wrong," Carlos said, his feelings laced with guilt. Carlos could think of so many ways last night could have been avoided. They could have fought Kendall harder, making him not go to the party at all. They could have made sure Freight Train was always with them. They even could have all walked out with Katie. There's no way two guys could chloroform five people!

"None of us paid attention," James said. He sat on the couch playing with his thumbs. "We shoulda kept a closer eye on Katie and Kendall instead of focusing on our publicity." James felt extremely guilty, even though the current circumstances were beyond his control.

"There's gotta be something we could do," Logan sighed as his mom put her arm around his shoulder.

"Officer Sloan is doing everything he can to find Kendall," Mr. Garcia said. "We're gonna get Kendall back."

"H-how do you think he's doing now?" Logan asked.

* * *

><p>Kendall woke up with a pounding headache. The first thing he noticed was that he was in a dark room. He lifted his hand to his head, but was stopped by handcuffs chained to the wall. "K-Katie," he whispered. "Katie please be okay," he prayed.<p>

Kendall squeezed his eyes shut, hoping the headache and nausea would subside.

Kendall was genuinely full of fear. He wouldn't hesitate to admitting that. He scanned the room, which wasn't very useful. Everything was dark, he couldn't see a thing.

Suddenly, a beam of light entered the room as a door opened. He saw the room was a plain white one, and a small window was on the right side of the room. Suddenly, a figure walked in and turned on the light.

Kendall gasped. "Gavin," he said with clenched teeth.

"So you do remember me," Gavin replied as if he were flattered. He knelt down by Kendall and grabbed the boys face to make sure Kendall looked at him right in the eye. "It was amazing how it easy it was to get to you." Gavin smiled. "Your soft spot is Katie, isn't it? Your world revolves around her. That's how anyone can get to you."

Kendall didn't want to hear anymore. "You're not gonna get away with this," he said, his voice didn't show any sign of fear. "And where's Katie?"

Gavin chuckled. "And if I told you she was dead...?"

"Then I'll kill you," Kendall promised. He spat in Gavin's face, which angered him.

Gavin wiped his face with the back of his hand. He took a deep breath and laughed. Suddenly, he put his hand around Kendall's neck, and watched in satisfaction as Kendall's eyes widened and breathing became difficult. "Be careful what you say, kid," Gavin warned. "This next period of time will be the worst last days of your life. I'll make sure of it."

He let go of Kendall, who coughed and sucked in deep breaths. The black dots slowly cleared from Kendall's vision.

Gavin stood up. "Your father's pride got him killed...You should learn from that." He gave Kendall a smile. "You' better start behaving, sweetheart," Gavin said as he turned off the light and walked out the room.

Kendall continued taking deep breaths. He closed his eyes as the effects of Gavin's choking wore off. He closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he was back into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>So this chapter wasn't so suspenseful...well...IDK<strong>

**Hope you liked it!**

**Don't forget to drop a review!  
><strong>


	18. Day One

**"LIVIN' YOUNG AND WILD AND FREE!" Oh I absolutely love that song. That's the song currently playing right now :D**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter. **

**Feel free to enjoy it!**

* * *

><p>James, Carlos, and Logan sat on the couch, worried about Katie. Ever since she returned from the hospital, Katie was practically locked in her room, blaming herself.<p>

"That's it," Carlos said as he shot up from the couch. "We gotta talk to Katie. It's not her fault!"

"We've tried talking to her," Logan reminded him. "She's not gonna listen to us."

"Maybe we should still try," James said. "We have to let her know that we're here for her."

Carlos and Logan looked at each other before nodding in agreement. The three boys slowly walked towards Katie's room. James knocked on her door. "Katie," he called out. No response. "Katie!" he tries again. "Okay that's it, we're coming in." James barged in and Logan and Carlos followed. "Oh Katie," James sighed out.

Katie laid in the bed, crying her heart out. "I don't wanna talk to anybody," she said between sobs. James took that as an invitation to sit down next to her. Katie sat up. "I said I don't wanna talk!" Her face and eyes were red and puffy.

"Then, can we just stay with you?" Carlos asked. "Maybe we'll do all the talking and you just...listen."

Katie didn't answer. They all sat in silence, thinking of what to say. But for the first time, the boys were speechless.

James pulled Katie into a hug. "If Kendall could tell us one thing right now," he started saying. "What would he say?"

"He'd tell us to be strong," Logan said, his eyes glued to the floor.

"That everything will work out in the end if we stick together," Carlos added.

James nodded. "It's not your fault, Katie. None of this is. We'll get Kendall back."

Katie snuggled closer. 'H-he promised everything would be alright," she said as she cried into James' chest. She hated how she sounded like a naive five year old.

"Everything WILL be alright," Logan reassured.

"I'll never forgive myself if Kendall d-dies," Katie cried.

"He's not gonna die!" James yelled, causing everyone in the room to jump. "He's not gonna die," he repeated softly.

The four of them sat in a comfortable silence. The only thought on their minds was Kendall.

* * *

><p>Katie didn't remember falling asleep, but Jennifer came in and woke her up. A frantic look was on her face. "Katie...come to the living room. Now," she commanded.<p>

Katie rose from the bed groggily. "What's wrong?" she asked, still in a daze.

"H-he's on the phone," she sobbed out.

"Kendall?" Katie asked, getting somewhat excited. Jennifer shook her head. That could only mean one other person. Gavin. She got out of bed and headed to the living room.

The Gracias, Brooke, Joanna, James, Carlos, and Logan were waiting for them. The were sitting on the orange couch, Jennifer's phone on the table.

"Okay Gavin," Jennifer said. "K-Katie's here."

"_Good,_" Gavin's voice could be heard over speakerphone. "_Someone here wants to say hi._"

They heard shuffling, curiosity demanded that they know what was going on. Then, they heard a voice. "_H-hello?_"

Kendall. They all gasped at the fear they heard in his voice. "Sweetie, it's Mom."

"_Mom,_" Kendall sighed out in relief. They all heard a shred of happiness in his voice after hearing his mother speak. "_Mom. Are you and Katie okay?_"

"I'm here, Kendall," Katie said, hoping it would get her brother to calm down a bit.

"Sweetie, do you know where you are?" Jennifer asked.

"_I-I don't kn-know,_" Kendall stuttered. "_I'm in a dark room and_-" Kendall's words were interrupted with a grunt and whimper.

"_Time's up,_" Gavin announced.

"What did you do to him?" Jennifer demanded.

_"He'll be fine...He reminds me so much of William,_" Gavin responded. "_I was put in jail for eight years for William's death... you know...before being let go for good behavior. Eight days for eight years. That's how it'll work._" The line went dead before anybody could say something.

"W-we didn't get to talk to him," Carlos said sadly as Jennifer stared at the phone in her hands. "I want him here!" Carlos and Katie held each other.

Logan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What would Kendall do?"

Mr. Garcia stood up and grabbed his phone, ready to dial Officer Sloan's number. "Eight days for eight years." He put the phone to his ear. "That means we have eight days to find Kendall."

* * *

><p>Kendall's jaw hurt so much, but he needed to be tough. He couldn't give Gavin the satisfaction of breaking down.<p>

Kendall gasped when the door opened. What did Gavin want now? Kendall couldn't even imagine.

"Hello, Kendall," the man said. Wait. That wasn't Gavin's voice. The light turned on, revealing who walked into the room. Kendall instantly knew who it was. The picture was still fresh in his mind.

"What do you want, Martin?" Kendall spat.

Martin approached him and took a seat next to him. "I wanna be there for you."

Kendall scoffed. "I don't know you like that." He looked away from Martin. "If you really wanted to be there for me, you wouldn't have come after any of us in the first place."

Martin put his hand on Kendall's shoulder, who quickly shrugged it off. He sighed and pulled out his phone. "Look," He said as he handed Kendall the phone.

Kendall raised an eyebrow in confusion. What he saw was a picture of a biracial girl, who looked like she was in middle school. "Who is this?"

Martin smiled. "Diana. My daughter." Martin looked at the picture again before putting the phone in his pocket. "She's my world."

"She looks around Katie's age," Kendall pointed out, hoping he had pulled some heart strings. "Where's...Diana?"

"Back in Minnesota," Martin answered. "I had to leave her there with her aunt for the time being."

"One question," Kendall asked. "Why not her mom?" He scoffed again and rolled his eyes. "What? Your wife leave you? You leave her? How'd your daughter get stuck with a guy like you?"

Martin's nostrils flared a little. "She's dead."

Kendall's eyebrows rose. "Wait. What?"

"My wife. Janet. She's dead!" Martin repeated. "Before I married her, I was caught up in some really bad business, involved with Gavin. No surprise there. Sh-she paid for my mistake. That's something I can never forgive myself for."

Kendall saw tears forming in Martin's eyes and actually felt sorry for him. "I'm so sorry." There was silence for a while. "Why didn't you leave Gavin's...business?"

Martin chuckled. "The funny thing is, I did." He shook his head. "But when you guys came up, he forced me into it, threatening my daughter's life. If I said no, he woulda shot her. I can't lose Diana to him too."

"But Diana can't lose another parent to Gavin either!" Kendall reasoned. "My...my mom can't lose someone else to Gavin. We can escape from him!"

"Ya know," Martin replied. "I thought it was easy too." He stood up. "I gotta go, kid." He looked into Kendall's eyes. "Don't upset Gavin too much, okay?"

Kendall slowly nodded. He didn't see the point of listening to Martin's warning. Gavin planned on killing him anyway.

* * *

><p><strong>Did you like it? Leave a review! Wooooo!<strong>


	19. Day Two

**Someone get some water cuz I'm on fire! (Wow that was lame)**

**Anyway...the song below, I borrowed from the Koreans...so just like BTR, I also don't own the song. But thank you Korea!**

**Enjoy!  
><strong>

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><p>When our eyes first met<br>You smiled a familiar smile  
>As if you know me<br>Making me stop in my tracks  
>It was only a fleeting moment<br>But I remember how I felt at that moment  
>I am afraid that I won't see you again<p>

I look back to catch a glimpse of you  
>You are getting farther and farther away<br>Day and night, high and low  
>I am here as always searching for you.<p>

I just wanna know if you feel the same  
>Where you at, where you at, where you at<br>Tell me now  
>And let my love for you begin<br>Where you at, boy

Amirah threw her hands in the air as she walked out of the Palm Woods. She had been working on her new song but couldn't concentrate, therefore forcing her to give up half way through. Kendall was missing and all anyone knew was that the psycho that took him was serious about everything.

She headed to the park bench. The same park bench her and Kendall sat at when they were given Gavin's warning.

"You can't stop thinking about him too," a voice from behind made Amirah jump.

"Oh my God Carlos," Amirah rushed out. She scoot over on the bench, inviting him to take a seat.

"Mama Knight says it'll be good for us to go play outside," Carlos said. He sighed. "How can anyone play knowing Kendall's gone?" Carlos hadn't realized that his volume had increased so much. "Kendall's gone and I can't help him."

"But Kendall wouldn't want us giving up!" she said, hoping it would comfort him. "We'll get Kendall back...ALIVE!"

Amirah was afraid. Carlos, the most optimistic, carefree teenager you will ever meet, was doubting the chance of Kendall's return. Carlos couldn't remember a day he felt like this. So down and unmotivated to do anything. "That song you were singing was good," he commented out of the blue.

"Thanks...someday I'll finish it," Amirah replied. "It would be even better if I could sing without thinking about Kendall." Who was she kidding? Until Kendall was here, at the Palm Woods, prancing around like Gavin had never happened, no one could put Kendall out of their mind. Palm Woods residents agreed to keep a look out for literally ANYTHING that they think would help with Kendall's return.

"Katie refuses to come out of her room," Carlos began. "James hasn't been chasing girls these past two days. Logan barely talks to Camille. Mama Knight barely talks to...anybody." Carlos' phone rang, indicating he received a text. His face became three shades lighter.

Amirah was quick to notice. "Carlos. What's wrong?" she asked, completely alarmed.

"K-Kendall," he stuttered out. His eyes widened as he began to panic.

* * *

><p>"Sing for me," Gavin demanded. He shifted a little in his chair. "If you wanna talk to your family, sing for me." He gave Kendall a creepy smile as he waited for Kendall to sing.<p>

Kendall didn't want to sing. For the first time in a long time, he didn't want to sing. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I-if I ruled the world-" Gavin interrupted him with a slap.

"I need more enthusiasm than that," Gavin said. "C'mon. Gimme more."

Kendall squeezed his eyes shut. Not because getting slapped hurt, but because he couldn't do what he was being asked.

Singing and dancing in front of large audiences never bothered Kendall. They were all strangers, of course. And Gustavo did warn the boys that no one is immune from being liked by a pedophile. Kendall always put that thought to the back of his mind. So what potential pedophiles might be lurking the audience? Kendall was doing something he loved. The dangers were worth the risk.

But right now, he couldn't do it. He took in a deep breath and started singing again. "If I ruled the world...I'd throw all my money in the air like confetti-"

Gavin slapped him again. "I hear your songs all the time. Sing me something else...Do you like Journey?"

Kendall slowly nodded.

Gavin smiled. "Sing a Journey song. Please?"

Kendall hesitated. He was a little scared that Gavin was asking in such a nice way. "J-just a small town girl...Livin' in a lonely world...T-Took the midnight train going anywhere...Just a city boy...born and raised in South Detroit...took the midnight train going anywhere..." he stopped.

"Why'd you stop, Kendall?" Gavin asked. He showed frustration due to the fact that one of his favorite songs wasn't being sung.

"I-I don't r-remember the re-rest," Kendall stuttered. He truly had forgotten the rest. Which was weird, seeing as how that song ALWAYS stayed with him. Now, he was just afraid of what Gavin would do.

To Kendall, Gavin seemed like he was nodding in understanding. Boy, was Kendall wrong.

Gavin angrily stood up. Kendall flinched at the action, thinking Gavin would throw his chair at him. Instead Gavin walked out of the room. Kendall curled up and hugged his knees to his chest, not being able to imagine what Gavin was possibly about to do.

The door reopened, revealing Gavin with a twisted smile on his face. Kendall saw him holding two things: a key in one hand, and a rope-like object in the other.

Kendall wanted to stay optimistic. Maybe Gavin wanted Kendall to dance for him. Yeah that's it. Gavin wanted Kendall to dance for him, and if he messes up...Gavin would use that rope...for something. Kendall could do that. He had learned a few freestyle moves that could impress anyone. There was no way he could mess this one up.

Gavin knelt down and unlocked Kendall's tight handcuffs. Kendall sighed in relief as he rubbed his red, raw wrists.

Too bad he didn't get a chance to show off his dance moves.

"Get on your stomach," Gavin ordered. Kendall's eyes widened. He wanted to ask why he should get on his back, but he knew asking Gavin dumb questions only made him angrier. Kendall quietly obeyed, and laid on his stomach. Then he felt it. The crack of the whip on his back.

He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to let out a loud scream. The hits kept coming, and Kendall was sure that Gavin didn't want to stop until he was dead.

After so many whips the only thing Kendall could do was cry and scream. He cried so hard that Gavin could hear him choking on his sobs. "You're weak," Gavin spat.

Kendall could feel the blood soaking his shirt. He curled into a ball when he noticed that Gavin had stopped.

"What do we learn today?" Gavin asked Kendall.

Kendall continued crying. He couldn't think or speak past the pain. Gavin frowned. "What did we learn?" he repeated, making sure to be a bit louder. He shook his head, seeing as how he wasn't going at get a response from the distraught teenager. Gavin gave Kendall one more whip. He knelt down to Kendall. "What Gavin wants...he gets. Got it?"

Kendall nodded. Once he showed Gavin that he had "gotten it", Kendall hid his face in his arms, ashamed at the tears he had shed today.

"One more thing," Gavin said as he pulled out a phone from his back pocket. Kendall looked up and noticed the phone Gavin held. It was Kendall's iPhone. "Smile. I want your friends and family to see this." Gavin took the picture and sent it to Kendall's three best friends.

* * *

><p><strong>Ouch. Sorry Kendall.<strong>

**And sorry for this very short chapter, but I had to end it here. It would have been waaaaaayyyy longer.**

**Leave a review please!**


	20. Day Three

**SAT's next month! :O AAAAHHHHH!**

**Enjoy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Officer Sloan pounded on the door of apartment 2J. Jennifer answered anxiously, desperate for whatever news he had. "Officer Sloan," Jennifer breathed out. "Please come in." She led him to the orange couch. "Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked nervously.<p>

Sloan shook his head. "Jennifer...I think I have some good news."

Jennifer gasped. "You found him?"

The officer shook his head. "No."

Jennifer shoulders slumped. "Th-then what's going on?"

"We put out an APB on both Gavin Rollins and Martin Bledsoe."

"What are you trying to tell me?" Jennifer asked. She was getting impatient. Officer Sloan beating around the bush was getting annoying.

He could hear the anxiousness coming from Jennifer. "Martin Bledsoe was spotted at a motel 2 miles from here!" Officer Sloan finally blurted out.

"What?" Jennifer asked. Her eyebrows raised in surprise. "You found Martin?"

Officer Sloan nodded. "Kind of. Two officers are staking out the motel right now. Apparently, Martin has been paying in cash only. He was good at not leaving a trail."

Jennifer sighed in relief. It was currently day three on Gavin's agenda. If the police kept working this fast, they'd find Kendall before his last five days were up.

Officer Sloan must have read Jennifer's mind. "We'll find him before his eight days are up."

Jennifer nodded wordlessly. She looked at Officer Sloan with much gratitude. "Thank you," she whispered. She felt her eyes watering up.

"Just doing my job," Sloan replied as he began walking out the door. "Kendall will be home soon." He walked out the door, leaving Jennifer with the kaleidoscope of emotions running around in her head. The picture of her bleeding son was forever burned in her memory, but maybe Officer Sloan's visit will shower in some hope.

* * *

><p>Kendall shifted uncomfortably on the floor. The lacerations on his back were really hurting him. Kendall wasn't so sure he could last this long. Gavin was letting all his anger out on Kendall, he could feel that.<p>

He moaned as his back grazed against the wall.

Five more days. He just needed to endure five more days of this before Gavin...before Gavin...killed him. Kendall felt his eyes watering up. He was going to die.

Gavin stormed into the room. He turned on the light and stumbled in. Kendall knew one thing. Gavin was drunk.

"Hi, Kendall," Gavin greeted. Gavin's words were barely slurring. He stumbled and fell on the floor. His face was so close to Kendall's. "Miss me?" he asked. Kendall scrunched up his nose. Gavin's breath wreaked of alcohol.

He scoot away from Gavin. Kendall's back was pressed against the wall. It hurt him a lot, but he figured being away from Gavin as much as possible was worth it.

Gavin's hand pressed against Kendall's thigh as he moved closer to the frightened teen. "What are you willing to do today?"

Kendall glanced at Gavin's hand. "I-I...um...I-I don't kn-know," he stuttered. "I-I can sing for you again." Kendall hoped that would work. Gavin was getting frighteningly closer, and Kendall would do anything to avoid what he thought was on Gavin' mind.

Gavin shook his head. "You had your chance."

"I-I c-can dance for y-you," Kendall said. His voice was pleading for Gavin to accept that offer.

Gavin chuckled and shook his head again. "You're just not getting it." Gavin looked Kendall in the eyes and smiled at him.

Gavin became closer and closer to Kendall, who didn't think that was even possible. Kendall panicked and kicked Gavin in the gut. His eyes widened once Kendall realized the mistake he had made. He saw the look of fury in Gavin's eyes. "Mr. Rollins! I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he chanted. "Please d-don't...I'm sorry!"

"You just made a huge mistake." Gavin made his way closer to Kendall. He cupped the blonde's face in his hands. "But I think there's a way to pay me back for hurting me like that," he whispered. Gavin's breath once again burned Kendall's nostrils.

Kendall could do nothing but cry in fear.

For almost an hour, Kendall's screams filled the room.

* * *

><p>Logan was once again sleeping in Carlos' and James' room. He hadn't slept in his room ever since Kendall was kidnapped.<p>

He didn't get very deep into sleep before he heard small cries. He slowly sat up, trying to find the source of the noise. His eyes widened as he realized who was crying. Carlos.

He quickly made his way to Carlos' bed. Carlos was having a really bad nightmare, that was obvious. His face was wet with tears and sweat.

Carlos couldn't tell that Logan had joined him on his mattress. He was stuck in his dream.

In Carlos' dream, he and his three best friends were all hanging out in apartment 2J. Logan and Kendall had invited Camille and Amirah over.

_"Kinda like how Carlos thinks you're Jamaican," Kendall slipped out to Amirah after Camille had told a hilarious story about her day._

_"You thought I was Jamaican?" Amirah asked Carlos, who gave her a look of apology._

_"You had dreadlocks in your "Beast" video..." Carlos said in defense. "It just looked so convincing!"_

_Amirah raised an eyebrow. "You mean the "Beast" video that I spoke two lines of Arabic in?" she pointed out, hoping that would have sparked something in Carlos' mind._

_"Have you heard a song from Sean Paul?" Carlos countered. "It took me FOREVER to figure out that he was speaking English...I thought you were just singing like him." He laughed nervously as he looked to Kendall for help. Kendall smiled and shook his head, too entertained to intervene._

_Amirah rolled her eyes as she tried to let go of the subject._

_"So Sudanese, huh?" James asked suddenly._

_Amirah groaned. Logan chuckled as he watched the exchange going on between his friends. "Amirah, they've never really been good at Geography," he said, hoping to excuse their behavior._

_The door opened suddenly, and everyone had expected to see Mrs. Knight of Katie walk in. Hey, they would have even expected Buddha Bob or Bitter to come in. But not this guy._

_It was Gavin, and there was no way he was here for a friendly visit. Carlos' eyes widened as he stared into the cold, brown eyes of Gavin._

_Amirah, being the closest to Kendall, could feel the anger radiating from his body._

_"Hey, Kendall," Gavin said as he made slow steps towards the teenagers._

_Kendall seemed ready seemed ready to pounce. His friends, of course, were ready to back him up. Gavin must have seen all this, because they weren't prepared for Gavin to pull a gun from the back of his jeans. He smiled. "Perfect. Six rounds. Six kids. The question is, who dies first?"_

_Kendall shoved Amirah behind him. Logan held Camille close to him. She was putting up a calm front, but Logan saw right past it._

_James and Carlos didn't have anyone but each other to protect, of course. James brought Carlos closer to him. If Gavin was going to shoot, James wanted to go down first, as selfish as that may have seemed._

_Gavin laughed at the bravery the boys were trying to show. "Look at the little teenagers trying to be brave," Gavin taunted._

_Kendall's shoulders seemed to have gotten broader. "If you're gonna try to kill them," he said, pointing to his friends. "You're gonna have to get through me."_

_Gavin shook his head. " Oh, no Tough Guy. You're gonna go down last. You're gonna watch you're friends die." He smiled. "Maybe I'll shoot your friends according to height," he said as he pointed the gun to Camille, being the shortest in the room. Logan tensed up as Camille held him tighter. There was no way he'd watch Camille just die._

_"Or maybe," Gavin started speaking again. "Maybe I'll shoot by alphabetical order." His gun moved to Amirah. "So many options!" Gavin playfully announced. He shrugged. "Random works," he said as he took a shot at James._

_"James!" Carlos yelled as James' body fell to the floor. Blood poured out of James' chest. Kendall felt actual tears roll down his face as he watched Carlos' cry over James' dead body._

_Another gunshot rang out, and Camille dropped to the floor. Logan had switched from mourning of James to mourning over Camille. His best friend and girlfriend had been shot right in front of him._

_Kendall felt powerless. Who was next?_

_He didn't have to wait very long before Logan, who was on his knees, had been shot. He slumped over Camille as blood poured out from his head._

_"What's wrong, Kendall?" Gavin taunted once again. He smiled as he took a shot at Amirah. "That leaves you, Carlitos," Gavin said. He pulled the trigger and..._

Carlos woke up screaming, waking up James. Logan held Carlos close. He could feel Carlos' body violently shaking from the crying and sobbing.

"It's okay, Carlos," Logan tried to soothe. "It was just a nightmare."

Carlos was on a full blown panic. He worried James and Logan as his breathing became more difficult.

"Carlitos!" James called out to him, hoping the familiar nickname would help bring Carlos back to reality. At first it didn't seem to work, but after a few moments, Carlos calmed down just a little bit.

"That's it, Carlos," Logan said as he ran his fingers through Carlos' wet hair. "Just focus on your breathing. You're safe, okay?"

Carlos continued sobbing. "B-but K-Kendall isn't," he replied between sobs.

James and Logan held on to Carlos as if their life depended on it. Carlos' words repeated in their minds, as if those words were meant to mock them.

* * *

><p><strong>So...do I needa raise the rating? I don't know. I'm paranoid sometimes...okay a lot!<strong>

**Now I'm off to go update Bloodline! (IDK why it's so addicting to write... *lightbulb* It's that Carlos angst *shakes head* gets me every time)**

**Don't forget to drop a review!  
><strong>


	21. Day Four

**Okay, so...here's the next chapter :D**

**Enjoy!  
><strong>

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><p>"You must be hungry," Martin said as he laid a turkey sandwich in front of Kendall. Kendall shook his head and hugged his knees to his chest as his body shook with violent shivers. Martin sighed as he took a seat next to Kendall, who shifted uncomfortably. "C'mon, kid. Talk to me." The blood on Kendall and the floor had worried Martin.<p>

Kendall shook his head again. He held his knees tighter.

"Why are you shivering so bad, Kendall?" Martin asked. He had no idea of what happened yesterday or the day before, so Kendall's sudden silence was really scaring him.

Kendall shrugged.

Martin saw the sweat coming from Kendall's forehead. He reached out a hand to touch Kendall's forehead. Big mistake.

Kendall started crying as he tried to scoot farther away from Martin.

Martin's eyes widened. The usually fearless teen was shrinking back from him. "What did he do to you?" Martin whispered. He got up and stormed out of the room, headed straight for the bedroom currently inhabited by Gavin.

Gavin was sleeping soundly on a large mattress. "Gavin," Martin said he smacked Gavin's arm to wake him up. He tried again when Gavin only stirred. "Gavin. Wake up!" This time, Gavin woke up.

Gavin sat up slowly, his hand holding his head. "Whoa," was all he could say. Martin and Gavin both knew what was up. Hangover.

"What happened last night?" Martin demanded.

"Drank a little," Gavin replied with a smile.

"You did more than drink," Martin said. "What did you do with Kendall?"

Gavin practically jumped. "Is he gone?" He got out of bed, ignoring the nausea that hit him, and started speeding to the direction of Kendall's room.

Martin stopped him. "He's there," he said, earning a sigh of relief from Gavin.

"Then what's the big deal?" Gavin asked, as if he had done nothing wrong these past few days.

Martin rolled his eyes. "When I see a kid severely bleeding, I tend to worry," he responded. "Not to mention the fact that Kendall refuses to talk and I think he's getting sick. What did you do?"

Gavin chuckled. "He asked for it," he said, already trying to find ways to defend himself.

"I highly doubt that," Martin replied. Martin became more serious. "What happened?" he asked again.

Gavin chuckled as he rolled his eyes. "Kendall's been a bad boy. Don't you agree?"

Martin shook his head. "He's scared! Of course he'll be a 'bad boy' to you. You've threatened everyone close to him!" He started jabbing Gavin's chest with his finger. "Tell me what you did!"

Gavin shrugged. "Alright. Two days ago, Kendall pissed me off. I set him straight."

"Did you beat him?" Martin asked, earning a nod from Gavin. Martin crossed his arms. "What else?" he asked. "There has to have been something else." He could feel his heart beating faster as he awaited the answer.

"Hmm," Gavin hummed. "Last night...seems to be a big blur. I _was_ drunk last night," Gavin reminded him. "Don't worry about him, okay?"

"He's getting sick!" Martin was quick to remind Gavin. "He could die! We don't know what's wrong with him."

"Isn't that what we want?" Gavin asked.

Martin shook his head. "That's what YOU want." He started walking away. "I'm gonna go stay with Kendall. There must be something I can do." Gavin watched as Martin walked away.

Kendall flinched as the door opened once again. He hadn't touched the food Martin left before. He wasn't hungry. Kendall's mind was busy right now. Images of last night plagued his mind. He tried to fight that. He'd think about Katie messing with Bitters, James and Carlos...acting like themselves while Logan tries to stop them from doing something stupid. He would think about his mom, reading her lame romance novels as she finally kicked the boys out. He pictured Camille as she practiced for her roles, putting a little too much emotion as she slaps the next innocent bystander. He'd think about Amirah, trying to come up with a new rap. Kelly trying to stop Gustavo from yelling so much. Kendall started crying. He wanted to be there, apart of all that. He missed everyone, including Gustavo.

"Kendall," Martin's voice brought him back to the present. Martin approached Kendall and took a seat on the floor, careful to be far away enough to not scare him anymore than he already has. Kendall looked up at him, his eyes still full of tears. Martin swore that he saw some trust in Kendall's eyes. Not a lot, but it was a start. "You're still shivering," Martin pointed out. "Do you want a blanket er something?" he offered, earning a nod from Kendall. "Okay," Martin said as he stood up. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Kendall was left alone for a while. His knees still being hugged to his chest. The wait felt like hours as he waited for Martin to return.

Martin came back in, with a blanket and a small box in his hands. He knelt next to Kendall again. Kendall saw that the small box in Martin's hands was actually a first aid kit.

"Before you get your blanket," Martin began saying. "I wanna see if you're okay." He stared at Kendall, looking for even the smallest response. "Does your back hurt?"

Kendall looked up at him after hearing that question. His back DID hurt. Like crazy. He slowly nodded.

Martin sighed. "Listen Kendall. I know you're not comfortable with me touching you right now...But I needa take care of your back...Will you let me? It might hurt less when I'm through."

Kendall took a while, but he finally nodded again.

"Okay," Martin breathed out. He had Kendall turn his body a bit, which was a little hard because he kept getting stuck in his chains. Martin slowly lifted up Kendall's shirt. Martin noticed two things. An intense amount of heat radiated off Kendall's body. The other thing, Kendall's back was...he couldn't describe it. Kendall's back could make any weak stomached person sick. Martin winced in sympathy at the sight of the large cuts. "It might sting a lot, okay?" he warned. He took out a cloth from the box, along with a bottle of alcohol. After putting the alcohol on the cloth, he slowly pressed the cloth onto Kendall's back. Martin felt Kendall's back tense up as he hissed in pain. "Sorry," Martin apologized. "It'll be over soon, okay?" He continued to repeat the process, earning cries, groans, and whimpers from Kendall.

Kendall wanted to beg Martin stop because he was hurting him so bad. But every time he tried, his mind would remind him of one thing. Martin is trying to help. He's not inflicting pain on purpose.

Kendall's thoughts were interrupted as he felt the cloth press against his back. He let out a small scream. He really didn't want to look any weaker than he already was.

"It's okay to let it out," Martin's soothing voice told him. "You're in pain. It's okay. It'll be over soon."

Martin heard Kendall breathe in deeply. One more time. He pressed the cloth to Kendall's back. That seemed to be the breaking point. He felt Kendall's body slacken as he fell forward. Martin caught him and gently laid Kendall's head on his lap. He looked into Kendall's half lidded eyes. "I'm sorry," he said to the hurt teenager. He wiped the tears that had fallen from Kendall's eyes.

Kendall finally closed his eyes. Martin sighed as he rolled Kendall on his stomach. He wrapped Kendall's back in gauze. Martin finally remembered the blanket he had brought in earlier. He moved Kendall, so that he could lay in a more comfortable position, then laid the thin blanket on him. Martin noticed that for once, Kendall looked like he was in peace.

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><p>Carlos stayed at the park, hoping the fresh air could ease his mind. He sighed as his phone began ringing. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of Unknown flashing on his screen. "Hello?" he answered after picking up the phone. At first, all he heard were strange noises coming in the background, which started to piss him off. He's had little tolerance for the past few days. "Look, if this is some sort of prank-"<p>

_"What?"_ a familiar voice finally said. _"You'll hang up? I don't think Kendall wants you to do that."_

"Let me speak to him, Gavin!" Carlos demanded. His voice had gotten uncontrollably higher, and he was hoping no one else was around to hear him.

_"That's exactly why I called,"_ Gavin said. _"You wanna speak to Kendall?"_

"Yes!" Carlos answered anxiously. "Is he okay?"

_"I'll let you talk to him,"_ Gavin offered. _"But face to face."_

"What?" Carlos breathed out. He was completely confused at the moment. "What do you mean?"

_"Remember the night you were stabbed?"_ Gavin asked. He continued before Carlos could respond. Gavin already knew the answer to that question. _"You used your quick thinking and ran to a little convenience store."_

"What does that have to do with anything?" Carlos asked. At this point, he had grown completely impatient.

_"Be there at midnight,"_ Gavin instructed. _"I'll take you to your friend."_

He couldn't be serious. "How dumb do you think I am?" Carlos asked.

_"After observing you,"_ Gavin said. _"Very."_

Carlos curled his fingers into a fist. "And if I don't come?"

_"Kendall's days will be cut short...and it'll be all your fault."_

"Why me?" Carlos asked. "Why didn't you ask any of the other guys...or his mom?"

_"Because I wanted you,"_ Gavin answered. _"Midnight. Convenience store. And come alone."_ The line cut after that.

Carlos remembered how Kendall sounded over the phone the time Gavin let him talk. Carlos definitely remembered the way Kendall looked after Carlos had gotten that horrid picture on his phone.

He knew that by following Gavin's commands, but he couldn't help but think that maybe, if he went, he could save Kendall. But if it was another one of Gavin's games, he could kill the both of them. He shook the thought out of his mind. Carlos was sure of this more than anything: Kendall was worth the risk. Kendall would do the same for anyone else.

"Okay, Gavin," Carlos said to himself. "Midnight it is." _Dad's gonna kill me._ Yeah, if Gavin doesn't do it first.

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><p><strong>Awwwww Martin. You large-hearted man. <strong>

**Okay, Gavin. What exactly are you planning?  
><strong>

**Did you like it? Leave a review! **


	22. For Kendall

**Alright peoples. Here's the next chapter. **

**I'm listening to my Pandora right now. Journey songs keeps popping up for some reason...but am I complaining? Nope! They're amazing and all their songs just seriously move me!**

**Anyway...Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The plan rang in Carlos' head as he checked his watch. It was now 11:30PM. He laid in bed, hearing the soft snoring coming from Logan and James. He hadn't gone to bed. He slowly crept out of bed as he reached for some decent clothes. And by decent, he meant anything that didn't resemble an old black T-shirt and Spongebob pajama pants. Kendall was coming home. He was sure of it.<p>

He changed into some black jeans, Vans, and his purple and black shirt. A shirt Kendall had given him a few years ago. He grabbed the doorknob, so close to leaving.

"Carlos?" James' sleepy voice made Carlos' heart stop. He froze, not knowing what to do. "Carlos cut it out."

Carlos let out a sigh of relief. James was dreaming. What he was dreaming about, Carlos couldn't imagine. James and Logan hadn't been told of the plan. They just couldn't know. He wouldn't allow it. He crept out the bedroom. He saw his parents sitting on the couch, their faces etched with worry.

"Mami. Papi. I'm ready," he said to his parents as he approached them.

"I really don't want you doing this," Sylvia said as she stood up to hug him.

Carlos willingly returned the hug. "I know Mami. But I have to. For Kendall."

Mr. Garcia grabbed Carlos' helmet of the couch. He placed the helmet on his son's head, then pulled him into a hug. "Just remember everything I told you."

Carlos nodded in acknowledgement. "It'll be okay," he whispered to them, hoping to calm them down just a little bit. He took a deep breath as he grabbed the keys to the maroon convertible. "I love you guys," he whispered. He began heading out the door and gently closed the door behind him. At this point, there was no turning back. He didn't know what awaited him at the convenience store, but he was desperate to find out.

The drive to the convenient store seemed like hours. But when Carlos checked the time again, it was only 11:58. He could feel his hands shaking as he parked his car in the store parking lot. When he saw headlights pulling up, he knew it was time.

A old red truck had made it's way next to him.

Carlos slowly stepped out of his vehicle, shoving his shaky hands into his pockets as Gavin rolled down his window and smiled.

"I thought you'd chicken out," Gavin said when Carlos approached the driver's side of his truck.

Carlos shook his head. "Not for Kendall." He stretched his neck a bit to see if Kendall was in the truck, but slumped his shoulders when he found out that wasn't the case. "Where's Kendall?" he asked.

"I said you can him." He smiled again, sending shivers down Carlos' spine. "Get in." Gavin waited for a response from Carlos. He could see Carlos' hesitation as he debated whether or not he should really enter. "Get in," Gavin repeated, this time his voice a little more forceful. Carlos took shaky steps to the passenger side of the truck. His entire body tensed up as he took a seat inside the truck, which Gavin noticed. "Relax, kid," Gavin said as he pulled out something from his pocket with one hand and patted Carlos' knee with his other. "It'll be over before you know it." It was a syringe he had pulled out of his pocket. Carlos hadn't seen it until it was too late. Gavin quickly jabbed the syringe into Carlos' arm.

Carlos panicked as he felt himself becoming weaker and weaker and couldn't imagine what was going to happen when he wakes up. If he wakes up.

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><p>Martin hadn't been to the motel in days. Once he found out that the police had started a stakeout at the motel he stayed at, he avoided that place at all costs. He couldn't risk the possibility of being caught.<p>

He had no problem bouncing from motel to motel. But after a while he began running out of money. And once he found out that his accounts had been frozen, he had one resort.

Staying at the house that Gavin stays at while he has Kendall.

He checked his watch. 12:45AM and Gavin was nowhere to be seen. He couldn't even begin to imagine where he had gone.

Martin sat in the room Kendall was held at. He spared a glance at the withering boy, hoping that by some miracle he'd be found and Gavin be caught by the cops, never to see the outside world again.

But one could only dream.

He jumped at the sound of a whimper coming from Kendall. He felt sadness pull at his heart when he saw that the sleeping boy had been trapped in a nightmare. Martin considered waking him up, to show the kid that it was just a dream. But that was stupid. He knew that. Kendall wasn't just dreaming a nightmare, he was living one. What purpose would waking him be?

His thoughts were interrupted when Gavin walked in, carrying a boy's body.

"G-Gavin?" Martin asked, becoming even more afraid. "What'd you do?"

Gavin placed the body not too gently on the floor. "Relax," he told Martin. "He's just asleep." Gavin began leaving, when he stopped. "Leave Kendall alone, will ya?" he asked Martin. "You shouldn't be too attached to the kid."

"Is that just a suggestion?" Martin asked, not really caring what the answer was.

Gavin scoffed. "Take it how you want."

Martin watched Gavin leave, violently closing the door behind him.

It was 1:15AM as Carlos groaned as he woke up. Well, at least Gavin hadn't killed him. He gasped as a sudden thought came to he head. His hands reached straight for his head, and he sighed in relief when he felt his black, plastic helmet still securely on his head.

Now the question was: where is he?

Thankfully, there was light, so he quickly took in his surroundings. He turned to his right and saw something that infuriated him.

Carlos wanted to cry as he crawled closer to Kendall. Carlos could see that he was chained, wearing blood stained clothes, and seemed terribly weak. But right now, just seeing Kendall was something that made him happy, even if he was in a bad state.

"Get away from him!" Carlos yelled at Martin who was sitting next to Kendall's sleeping form, brushing the sweaty bangs away from the teenager's face.

Martin's eyes widened at the sound of the angry Latino. They both heard a moan from Kendall in response. "Ca-Carlos? That you?"

Carlos gasped. "Yeah, Kendall. It's me." He glared at Martin as he continued speaking to Kendall. "D-did this guy hurt you?"

Kendall shook his head as he tried to sit up. "N-no. Martin...he helped me...he's good."

Carlos gently pulled his blonde friend and hugged him tight. Kendall tensed up at first, but relaxed as he felt the love and comfort coming from Carlos' body. "Kendall," Carlos said, breaking the silence. "I'm so glad to see you."

As much as Kendall knew that what Carlos said had meant well, Kendall didn't want to see Carlos. Not here, anyway. Kendall couldn't stand the thought that Carlos was left at the mercy of Gavin. He would never forgive himself if Carlos got hurt-again-from this.

"Why are you so warm, Kendall?" Carlos asked as he separated from the hug. "Are you sick?" Carlos looked to Martin, who only nodded. Carlos adjusted the blanket hanging loosely on Kendall's shoulders. "You'll be alright, buddy, okay? They're gonna find us." The silence coming from Kendall made Carlos a little uneasy. It made him wonder what Gavin had done to Kendall.

Kendall's eyes began watering up. This time, he pulled Carlos into a hug, holding him tight. "C-Carlos...thank you."

"I'd do anything for you, Kendall," Carlos said as he rubbed circles on Kendall's back. "You know that." He was silent for a while as Kendall cried. _What did he do to Kendall?_

Carlos hadn't realized that he had said that out loud until he felt Kendall's body stiffen up. "N-no...I don't..." Kendall sobbed out.

Martin sighed. "He wouldn't tell me either."

Carlos' eyes widened. "Kendall...what DID he do to you?"

Kendall inhaled deeply. Just thinking about saying it made him want to vomit.

"Please tell me what he did...maybe...maybe I can help," Carlos begged.

Anytime Carlos wanted something, he had the amazing superpower of turning his face into the best puppy dog pout ever. He always got what he wanted he made that face. Never has anyone told him no after they see his large chocolate eyes, and his lip getting bigger and bigger.

Kendall couldn't see Carlos' face right now, due to the fact that Kendall was crying on Carlos' shoulder, but he could only imagine that Carlos was currently making that face right now out of pure habit. Kendall mentally slapped himself for not being to resist Carlos' face that he wasn't even looking at. He sighed. "C-Carlos," he croaked out. "Gavin..he...he raped me..."

Carlos' eyes widened. This time, it was his turn for his body to completely tense up.

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><p><strong>Oh! You thought there would be more? <strong>

**Haha, let's not get ahead of ourselves.**

**Review and let me know what you think!**


	23. Carlos' Helmet

**I hope you love this chapter. I realized that I've been working on this story for almost five months. Wow.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Carlos was mad. Really mad. "Mad" was probably not a word that was accurate enough to describe the rage boiling in his body.<p>

Gavin raped Kendall. Carlos can't ever forgive him for that.

Carlos angrily stared at the wall. Kendall's head lay in his lap.

"C-Carlos?" Kendall finally said. Carlos flinched after hearing his friend sound like a lost child. "What's wrong?"

_What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG? This whole situation, that's what's wrong!_Carlos ran his fingers through Kendall's hair, seeing as how that's the only piece of comfort he could provide right now. "Nothing," Carlos finally answered. He looked into Kendall's frightened green eyes. "They're gonna find us. I just know it."

"Why'd you come?" Kendall asked. He didn't mean to sound rude. It was just that the thought of Carlos being in the same place as a sadistic killer really scared him.

"Cuz you're worth it, Kendall," Carlos responded sincerely. "Gavin said to meet him or...or bad things will happen to you," he said, not wanting anything about Kendall dying to come to his mind. "I took a chance because you're my brother."

"He'll hurt you too," Kendall warned.

Carlos shrugged. "You think I care? I missed you so I'm glad to be with you right now, no matter the costs."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Kendall's face. "Th-thanks, Carlos."

"No problem, K-Dog," Carlos said, trying to hide the worry from his eyes. Kendall needed medical help and soon. It didn't take having Logan's brain to figure that out.

"Wh-where'd Martin go?" Kendall asked after noticing that there was a person missing.

"He left after you dozed off," Carlos answered. "It's getting late. He needs sleep too, ya know." Carlos checked his watch. 2:38AM. _Please be here soon._

Suddenly, he felt Kendall's body convulse.

"Kendall," Carlos said as his eyes widened. Panic began building up inside of him, almost replacing the anger he felt moments before. "Kendall. What's wrong?"

I..I don't-" Before Kendall could finish that sentence, he turned his head away from Carlos and began vomiting. It wasn't much, due to the fact that he hadn't eaten anything in over four days. Kendall's face showed nothing but embarrassment. "S-sorry," he said when he was finally done.

"It's okay, Kendall," Carlos said. He moved Kendall's blonde bangs from his sweaty face. "Are you...do you feel a little better?"

Kendall nodded wordlessly, too tired to form words as he felt his eyes forcing themselves closed.

Carlos saw Kendall struggling to stay awake. "Go to sleep, Kendall. It's okay if you're tired."

"B-but I don't want you to be alone," Kendall insisted as his words slurred together.

"I'll be fine," Carlos said. "Please sleep. Okay?"

Kendall nodded as his eyes slowly fell closed, knowing that he could no longer ignore the sleep calling for him.

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><p>After a series of weird dreams featuring Carlos, ducks, and amusement parks, James woke up. He noticed two things. The first being that Logan was peacefully asleep, which was a good thing. Out of all the boys, Logan had been sleeping less since Kendall's kidnapping. The second thing James noticed was that Carlos' bed was empty.<p>

James chuckled. _I told him not to drink three liters of lemonade before going to bed, _he thought to himself.

He headed to the kitchen, feeling suddenly thirsty himself. Seeing Sylvia Garcia and Jennifer Knight awake in the living room made him jump.

Mr. Garcia was nowhere to be seen.

"Mrs. Ga-Garcia. Is everything alright?" James asked as his heart began to return to its normal rate.

Sylvia and Jennifer shared worried glances at each other.

"James," Sylvia said as she sighed. "There's something we need to tell you guys."

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><p>Gavin knew trouble when he saw it. When he looked out the window and saw a blue Crown Victoria pull up to his haven, he knew something was going on. When he saw more vehicles with flashing blue and red lights, he was absolutely certain that went wrong.<p>

Carlos jumped when he heard the door opening.

"Adorable," Gavin's voice filled the room as he turned on the light. "Now get up," he commanded. He crossed his arms over his chest, awaiting Carlos to obey his command.

Carlos glared at him for a while before finally deciding that he should listen. He slowly and gently lifted Kendall's head off his lap. Carlos froze when he saw Kendall stir, but sighed in relief when Kendall went back to his peaceful sleep. He slowly stood up. "What?" he spat. It took all his strength to not attack Gavin then and there.

Gavin slammed Carlos against the wall, holding the boy's collar. "You're gonna tell me a little story. Start with why there are cops outside my house."

If Carlos could, he would jump up and down in joy. It worked! But he had to keep his emotions in check. If Gavin sensed that Carlos knew anything, he'd kill the two teenagers for sure. Carlos acted dumb. "What do you mean?"

"I bring you here," Gavin began to say. "And suddenly cops show up. What did you do?"

Carlos winced when he looked over to Kendall and saw him stir again. His attention was brought back to Gavin when Gavin once again slammed Carlos' body to the wall. "I don't know what you're talking about!" He prayed that Gavin didn't figure anything out before the cops barged their way into the house and arrested the sick creep. "Give it up, Gavin. You've been caught. Let's just end this!" Carlos pleaded.

"Not until that pathetic piece of filth is dead," he said as he motioned over to Kendall. Gavin stopped suddenly, and a weird look formed on his face.

Carlos wasn't dumb, contrary to Gavin's belief. He saw the look on Gavin's face. The look in his eyes. He wanted Kendall dead. Now. "Don't you dare touch him," Carlos said as he pushed Gavin away before he could do anything. Carlos made his way back to Kendall and held his friend close.

Kendall began waking up.

"Help's here, buddy," Carlos whispered to his friend. "They found us."

Kendall's eyes widened. Not because of what he heard, but because of what he saw. Gavin had snuck up behind Carlos. Before Kendall could warn him, Gavin delivered a swift kick to Carlos' head.

Carlos fought the daze as he felt his helmet fly off his head. He heard Kendall weakly call out his name as he landed on the ground and watched as his helmet rolled away.

"You know what I think about your stupid helmet?" Gavin asked as he made his way over to the black plastic.

Carlos' heart began beating ten times faster as he watched Gavin pick up the helmet.

Gavin was about to say what was on his mind, but he froze. Carlos cursed under his breath. Gavin saw it.

"They tracked you?" he asked when he saw the blinking light in the helmet.

Carlos gave a devilish smile before getting off the floor. "You caught me, Gavin." The police are here. Carlos could hear the commotion from around the house. The cops were inside. The cops were one step closer to finding them. It'll will be over soon.

Gavin stormed over to Carlos before smacking the poor boy with his own black helmet. Carlos landed on the ground again, this time resulting in Gavin straddling on top Carlos, continuing to beat him with his helmet. Gavin could hear Kendall begging him to stop, but pure fury made him continue. Carlos put up a hard fight, but in the end, Gavin overpowered him. When Gavin felt Carlos weakening, he slowly got off, and inched his way toward Kendall.

Kendall grew afraid as he saw Gavin approach him, but anger overpowered that fear, seeing as how he just watched Gavin beat Carlos senseless, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

"Now it's your turn," Gavin whispered as he knelt down and dropped the helmet. He wrapped his fingers around Kendall's neck, feeling a sick satisfaction when he saw the blonde boy struggle out of his grasp.

Darkness threatened Kendall's vision as he felt Gavin's cold hand crushing his windpipe. Kendall could swear that he could hear his heartbeat. He choked on the nonexistent air and his lungs were burning, and Kendall could feel himself letting go. Darkness swept over him.

The next sound heard was a door slamming open, and angry shouts filling the room.

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><p><strong>Remember the episode BTBreak Up? When Kelly and Logan tried to steal Carlos' helmet, they found out that he placed a tracker in it. :) That's where this chapter's idea came from.<strong>

**So shout out to EverlastingRusher for leaving a review that about Carlos' going with a tracker ;)**

**Anyway, the itty-bitty scene that took place at the boys' apartment will get more air time in the next chapter.  
><strong>

**Did you like this? Leave a review!**


	24. We Can Only Hope

**I've figured it out. Me, chocolate-colombo, has figured out something very important. What is that important thing, you ask? Simply put, I'm soooooo freaking nervous, anxious over everything right now, and kinda sleep deprived. But look what I'm doing. I'm writing. Basically, what I'm trying to say is, when I get nervous or something is plaguing my mind, I write. Like crazy. And guess what? It helps...a little bit, cuz in the end, that problem or that major exam or that annoyance is still gonna be there, sad to say. But I didn't know that fanfiction would serve as some kind of weird therapy for me. So in the end, my readers benefit from my misfortune. Hmmmm  
><strong>

**Okay, now that you've read that ridiculous A/N...  
><strong>

**Enjoy!  
><strong>

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><p>James and Logan hung their mouths open. Jennifer and Sylvia were afraid to say anything more, wondering what was going on in the boys' heads.<p>

Logan was the first to react finally. "Carlos is _where_?"

"How come no one told us?" James asked, feeling a mixture of worry and betrayal. "We could've helped him!"

"Or try to stop him," Sylvia said. She wasn't too happy that Carlos had done this also, but she knew that it was for the right reasons. "He was afraid that you guys weren't gonna let him go."

Carlos knew his friends too well. James was about to argue, but Logan stopped him.

"Let's not lie to ourselves, James," Logan told him. "We would have done everything in our power to stop him and you know it."

James looked down, seeing as how he was caught. He couldn't argue with Logan. Logan was always right. "So where's Carlos now exactly?" James sheepishly asked.

Sylvia stood up to grab her laptop from the dining table. "Just a sec," she said as she pulled up a map on her screen. She sat the laptop on the coffee table in the middle of the living room. After everyone had gathered around, she pointed to a blinking red dot. "Right there."

"Where is 'there', exactly?" Logan asked. All he could see from the screen were a bunch of colored lines and, stars and dots.

"It is," Sylvia said as she started typing. "A-ha! 145 Titan Street. It's one of those old small neighborhoods." She raised an eyebrow, wondering why Gavin would be keeping someone in a place like that.

"Anything wrong, Sylvia?" Jennifer asked when she noticed Sylvia's change in facial expression.

"This place is basically a senior community," she answered.

"Which means that can't be where he lives," Logan said, not wanting to imagine what happened to the poor owner.

Jennifer saw the look of horror on Logan's face. "Kendall's coming home tonight," she said, hoping to comfort him and herself. "That's all that matters."

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><p>"Step away from Kendall Knight," Officer Sloan said, his gun out and ready to shoot.<p>

Gavin sighed. This was it. No escaping. No tricks.

Officers Sloan and Rodriguez looked down at Kendall and Carlos. They were okay when they saw the small boy. He was definitely knocked unconscious but nothing to major. Their emotions of relief dropped when they saw Kendall.

They had to do a double take to make sure that the blonde boy wasn't dead. At least, they were hoping that he wasn't dead.

Anger built up in the two officers. Officer Sloan started talking again. "I will not repeat myself again. Put your hands up and step away from Kendall Knight."

Gavin thought long and hard before obeying. He raised his hands in the air and slowly stood up. His eyes never left Kendall's shockingly still body.

Officer Rodriguez mirandized Gaven as he slapped the handcuffs on him. But Gavin didn't notice a thing. All he could focus on was Kendall's body. Gavin was led out, Officer Rodriguez forcing Gavin's gaze away from Kendall.

Officer Sloan rushed over to Kendall. The first thing he did was grab Kendall's cold wrist and check for a pulse. He panicked when it took him a while to find a pulse. He then checked Kendall's breathing. "Oh no, kid," he breathed out when he found that Kendall was not breathing. He swore, before tilting Kendall's head and puffing air into Kendall's mouth. "C'mon kid," Sloan urged as he continued to breathe for Kendall.

Suddenly, there was a gasp coming from the other side of the room. Sloan turned around to see Mr. Garcia standing at the doorway. He had been told to wait outside until Gavin had been arrested. "P-paramedics are here," he managed to say before making his way over to Carlos. He gently shook his son's shoulders, who was able to wake up a few moments later.

"Papi?" Carlos asked sleepily as his vision started to clear.

Mr. Garcia smiled and nodded. "Yeah mijo. It's me. Everything's gonna be fine."

A gurney was pushed in by two paramedics. They headed straight to Kendall, seeing as how he was in a much worse shape.

"Kendall?" Carlos asked.

Mr. Garcia looked over to Kendall, who was being placed on the gurney. Oxygen was currently being pumped into his body by a machine. A machine!

"He's going to the hospital, mijo," Mr. Garcia finally answered. "Let's get you outta here, okay?"

Carlos nodded. He could tell that his dad wanted to carry him out, but he stopped him and slowly but surely stood himself up.

"You did good, mijo," Mr. Garcia told his son as they walked out of that God forsaken house.

"Thanks, Papi," Carlos responded. All he could think about was Kendall. _What did Gavin do to Kendall?_ Once again, Carlos hadn't realized he asked that question out loud until his father started speaking.

Mr. Garcia sighed. "By the looks of it, Gavin choked him." He could see the tears forming in Carlos' eyes. "Once he gets to the hospital, he should be taken care of, okay? Everything will be fine." He felt like he had just told a huge lie. Mr. Garcia saw the way Kendall looked. He could only think one thing: _We need a miracle._

Officer Sloan walked out of the house, pulling out a sleepy looking Martin. Carlos' eyes widened when he saw that. He knew what that meant. They were going to arrest Martin. "Wait!" he yelled as he ran up to the pair. "Don't arrest him."

His father and Officer Sloan wore confused looks on their faces. Even Martin had a surprised expression.

Carlos saw this and continued speaking. "I know Kendall's in a really bad shape right now but if it wasn't for Martin, Kendall would be much worse! Martin didn't do anything bad, he helped us. Gavin kidnapped him too." Carlos wasn't lying when he said those last words. What Gavin had done to Martin _was_ kidnapping.

Officer Sloan looked over to Mr. Garcia, then back to Carlos. "Thanks kid," he said. "We'll keep that in consideration." He took Martin to a cruiser and told the cop driving to take Martin to the precinct and hold him there until he got there. Carlos' words repeated over and over again in his head.

Carlos dizzily watched as Kendall was placed in an ambulance and as Martin was being driven away. "Papi," Carlos said as all the events that took place hit him like a brick. "I'm not feeling too good..."

Mr. Garcia looked at his son in confusion until Carlos' body began to fall. He quickly caught his son and called Officer Sloan over. "Carlos," Mr. Garcia said as he gently tapped his son's face. "Come on. Wake up."

"He can take a ride to the hospital in our car," Sloan offered, seeing as how their only ambulance had just drove off. "We can get him there fast enough."

Mr. Garcia gently lifted his son off the ground and followed Sloan and Rodriguez to their car.

As he sat in the back seat with his son's head in his lap, all Mr. Garcia could do was pray. Pray that after all this, everyone will be okay. But he knew that everyone, especially Kendall, had a long way ahead of them.

* * *

><p>Logan, James, Jennifer, and Katie, who was now awake, waited anxiously as Sylvia spoke to her husband over the phone. It was like she was purposely speaking in Spanish just so she could keep them in suspense.<p>

James held on to Katie, who was literally shaking in fear. Logan was biting his nails, a habit he had quit in middle school. Jennifer twiddled with her thumbs, wishing her son was sitting next to her right now.

Sylvia hung up the phone and turned to face everybody.

"Well?" Jennifer asked anxiously.

Sylvia sighed before she began talking. "They found the boys. They arrested Gavin." She tried to sound as cheerful as possible. The fact that Kendall was no longer in the hands of Gavin should bring a smile to everyone's face. But it didn't.

"But that's just the good news, isn't it?" Logan asked. His pessimistic mind told him news always came with bad news. "What's the bad news?"

Sylvia's eyes started watering up. "Both of them were unconscious when they were found...Carlos eventually woke up, only to pass out a few minutes later..." She turned to Jennifer. "K-Kendall's in a much worse shape. A-and he wasn't breathing when they found him."

Jennifer had no reaction at first. But soon, her and her daughter were crying, almost choking on their sobs.

"C-Can we see them?" James asked, his mind trying to process what he just heard. He held Katie tighter, feeling her body violently shake because of her intense crying.

Sylvia nodded. "By the time we get there, they should be at the hospital as well."

They all rushed out of the apartment. As they made their way to Jennifer's minivan, all they could hope for was that this was just one long nightmare. That they'd wake up in their apartment, Kendall staring at them with confusion and amusement etched on his face. He'd ask them, "What exactly's going on here?" and they'd laugh it off like they were idiots. But one could only hope.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, Kendall's in the hospital now. And Carlos defended Martin! Good kid.<br>**

**I hope you liked that one! The fact that it didn't take me too long to write kinda scares me XD  
><strong>

**Don't forget to drop a review!  
><strong>


	25. There's Still Hope

**I couldn't keep you guys waiting for long.  
><strong>

**Enjoy!  
><strong>

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><p>Everyone rushed into the hospital. The first thing they did was head to the receptionist's desk.<p>

"My son, Kendall Knight," Jennifer began telling the blonde nurse. "Was brought in here. Along with Carlos Garcia." She pointed to Sylvia. "Her son." She stopped to catch her breath. She hadn't realized how fast her heart was beating.

The nurse nodded and started looking through her computer. "Sorry, there's no word on Kendall yet. But Carlos is in room 559."

"Thank you," Sylvia said as they walked away from the desk.

James and Logan practically ran in search of Carlos' room. Jennifer and Katie lingered in the waiting room, which bothered Sylvia a little bit.

"I know we don't have news on Kendall," Sylvia said. "But I'd feel much better if you two weren't alone."

Jennifer started tearing up. "Thank you, Sylvia," Jennifer said. "But...I need to stay here. I need to be with Kendall the minute I'm allowed. I don't want him alone for too long."

Sylvia nodded in understanding. "Okay." She smiled at the two of them. "But if you need anything, you know where we are."

Jennifer thanked Sylvia and pulled her in a hug. Sylvia slowly broke apart from her and made her way to her son's hospital room.

By the time Sylvia had got there, she found her husband, James, and Logan at Carlos' side. The sight of her son laying unconscious in a hospital bed again brought tears in her eyes. Carlos' face was a little bruised up, but that was it. Sylvia was a little relaxed when it dawned on her. Her son wasn't in here for anything too serious. But it was still painful.

Mr. Garcia jumped up at the sight of his wife. "Sylvia," he breathed out as he stood up and pulled her into a hug. "He's okay," he whispered to her. "Its over. Both boys are safe." Mr Garcia felt his wife relax into his touch. He rubbed circles in her back. "Carlos will be okay," he finally said as he released Sylvia and wiped the tears off her face with his thumb.

* * *

><p>Carlos' eyelids fluttered open. All he could see beyond the haze was the color white. His eyes immediately darted to the IV in his arm.<p>

"Carlos?" he heard his father's voice say.

Carlos blinked a few times before realizing that he had company. His parents, Logan, and James were here. "What...what happened?" he asked.

"You fainted, mijo," Mr. Garcia answered. "How are you feeling?" Carlos could see the concern coming from his father's eyes.

"I'm fine," he responded. He felt his mom gently squeeze his hand. It was then that the events he had experienced had replayed in his head. "Is everybody else okay?"

They all knew that by "everybody else", Carlos meant Kendall. Mr. Garcia shifted his gaze to the floor.

"There's no news on him yet," Logan quickly answered.

Carlos sank into the bed. "I...I couldn't save him. It's my fault."

"Are you kidding?" James asked. "You led the cops right to Kendall! If it wasn't for you, Kendall would still be in that hellhole."

"Gavin found my tracker and Kendall got punished for it," Carlos argued. If he hadn't been knocked out by Gavin, if he hadn't let his guard down, if he hadn't messed up, Kendall wouldn't have been choked to death...er...almost choked to death. "I coulda done more. I should've done more."

"None of this is your fault," Sylvia said as she ran her fingers through her son's hair. "Kendall's here, and safe. And it's all because of you."

Carlos started crying at that statement. Sylvia pulled him into a hug and Carlos held his mother tight. He never wanted to see Kendall like that ever again.

* * *

><p>It had been hours before Jennifer and Katie heard anything. When they were led into Kendall's room, they weren't prepared for what they were to see.<p>

As they hesitantly walked over to Kendall's room, the doctor's words rang in their heads.

_"...Whipped back."_

_"...Blood loss..."_

_"...Malnourishment..."_

_"...Dehydration..."_

_"...Asphyxiation..."_

_"...Sepsis."_

_"...Evidence of sexual assault."_

How Kendall survived was beyond anyone. Jennifer gasped when she saw her son for the first time in five days. Her and Katie slowly walked up to Kendall. The first thing Jennifer did was stroke Kendall's pale face, glad that the doctors were able to reduce Kendall's raging fever. This wasn't a dream. Kendall was really here.

They only wished that this was a bad dream. Kendall wasn't breathing, at least not by himself, anyway. A machine was breathing for him. His frighteningly still body lacked color. The only sign of life was his heart monitor that was currently beating at a steady rate.

Katie grabbed Kendall's hand and held it tightly. "Kendall," she sobbed. "Pl-please wake up. I need you. Please wake up!" she begged. She cried harder, seeing as how her pleas were falling on deaf ears. "You promised everything would be okay!"

The doctor had told them that Kendall was in desperate need for antibiotics, which was the first thing they gave him when he was administered. They couldn't tell when Kendall would wake up. The doctors said "it was up to him"... whatever that meant.

They couldn't thank Carlos enough. No amount of "thank you" or free corn dogs could show how thankful they were to Carlos for putting his life on the line to save Kendall. Kendall would have died from septicemia, or by the hands of Gavin, let's not forget, if Carlos hadn't gone to Kendall when he did.

Jennifer gently moved Kendall's hair away from his closed eyes. She kissed Kendall's forehead. She didn't know if Kendall could hear them, but she wanted to do everything possible to make sure that Kendall knew that he wasn't alone.

"Kendall," she whispered. She couldn't find her voice right now. "Sweetie, We need you to wake up. Don't let Gavin win." She closely watched her son for a response, looking for the slightest twitch.

But there was nothing.

* * *

><p><strong>Did you like that? I'm not to good with hospital scenes. It's on my list of things to work on, along with romance and the "comfort" in hurtcomfort stories. Kinda sad.  
><strong>

**Drop a review, amigos!  
><strong>


	26. Seven Days in a Nutshell

**I REEEEEEAAAAAALLLLLLYYYYYYY should be studying.  
><strong>

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Seven days. They waited seven days before anything happened. That week had to be one of the longest weeks of their lives. The waiting was practically killing them, and the events spread between those seven days put everyone on an emotional roller coaster. If they didn't see any improvement soon, they would go insane.<p>

The first day, Carlos was released. Of course, his discharge from the hospital only resulted in Carlos spending his extra time at the hospital. When he was able to see Kendall, he asked to be alone with him. Kendall may not hear what he had to say, but it felt good to get it off his chest.

Carlos wiped the tears from his eyes. K-Kendall," he stuttered. "They told me that I'm the one that saved you. That if it wasn't for me, you'd still be with Gavin. But why don't I feel it? I can't stop thinking about everything I coulda done differently and how much I feel that I failed you. Kendall, you'd do anything for us. You're a good person who would do anything for us to make us happy or make us feel safe. I just want one thing from you. I need you to wake up. Wake up and smile. Tell me everything's okay. That's what I need you to do. Just fight your way out of this and wake up."

The second day wasn't any better. They had grown severely impatient. Kendall hadn't shown any signs of improvement. Of course they knew that things can't improve in just two days, but they couldn't help feeling the way they did. The boys spent every minute of the day with Kendall. They refused to leave until visiting hours ended. They watched over Kendall's body like a hawk, waiting for the slightest movement. Katie had a tight grip on Kendall's hand, hoping that he would wake up and squeeze her hand, alerting everyone in the room that he was finally awake.

Day three, torture. Carlos was asked to give his statement at the police station. When he saw Martin, he ran up to him and hugged him. Thanked him for helping Kendall. But that semi-happy moment was ruined when another familiar face showed up. Carlos suddenly felt nothing but rage. He was ready to pounce, but his father, being much stronger than him, held him back. If it hadn't been for Mr. Garcia, Carlos would have bashed Gavin's face into a wall. Multiple times. The funny thing was, Officers Sloan and Rodriguez, along with a few other cops, acted like they didn't see a thing.

Day four, Kendall still showed no signs of improvement. Their minds were plagued with the fact that if Kendall hadn't been found, Gavin would have killed him today. But the boys' moods were lifted a bit when Camille and Amirah came to the hospital. Katie was happy to see the two girls she had grown used to constantly seeing. Everyone could swear that this day was the first day they had seen Camille shed real, actual, tears. Amirah had a concert coming up in three weeks. She planned on performing a song that she wrote, dedicated to Kendall and all their friends. She wanted to make sure they knew that they had tons of support.

Katie never left Kendall's side on day five. She started humming "You Are Not Alone". She later chuckled. "You were always the one singing to me," she said to her unconscious brother. "It shouldn't be this way. You should still be singing to me. Not the other way around." Katie felt herself tearing up again. "I just wanna hear your voice again." She waited, hoping Kendall would wake up then. He'd wake up, hold her close and start singing to her. Just like old times.

Day six was when everyone found out that a trial for Gavin was to be held. A month from today. Would Kendall be up for it?

On the seventh day, Katie and Jennifer saw Kendall's eyes flutter open. They both swore that they were imagining things, until they saw his hand reaching for the tube going down his throat. "Stop, Sweetie," Jennifer said as she touched his hand gently, stopping his action. She pressed the call button. "Everything is okay now."

Kendall fought the haze to finally recognize the familiar faces of his mom and sister. After the doctor had come and removed Kendall's breathing tube, Katie immediately wrapped her hands around her brother and hugged him as gently as she could. Jennifer joined the hug a few moments later. They stayed in silence, the only sound in the room was the sound of the three of them sobbing uncontrollably.

Carlos, James, and Logan were at the apartment when they received the phone call, coming from Mrs. Knight, telling them that Kendall had woken up, disoriented and in pain, but he had still woken up.

They broke every traffic law available in order to go see Kendall. Bursting into the hospital doors may have created a scene, but they didn't care.

Finally, room 356. Kendall's room. Carlos was the first to turn the doorknob and let himself in. The sight they saw was so adorable. Kendall was currently sharing his bed with his little sister, who was fast asleep. Her head lay on his chest as he ran his fingers through her hair. He was singing "Cover Girl" as he watched her sleep.

"Kendall!" Carlos cried out in joy, but not loud enough to wake up Katie.

Kendall's eyes lit up as he saw his best friends approach his bedside. They noticed that something still seemed off about his expression, though.

Katie stirred at the sudden commotion, and everyone froze, but they relaxed when she fell back into her peaceful sleep.

With one hand, Kendall pulled Carlos into a hug. Carlos was shocked at first, but he gently wrapped his arms around his blonde friend, whose shoulders started shaking.

"Kendall?" Carlos asked, feeling a sudden worry. "What's wrong?" he separated from the hug and looked at Kendall. Kendall was crying.

"C-Carlos," Kendall said between sobs. "Thank you. For everything. I'm sorry you had to go through that and I'm really glad you're okay." He wiped the tears from his face. "I owe you so much."

Carlos shook his head. "I just wanted you to wake up," he said. "And you have. We're even." Carlos felt tears stinging his eyes now. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I wish I could have done more."

"You've done enough buddy," Kendall replied. "And for that I'm truly grateful." He turned to his other friends. "And I'm glad to see you guys too." He shifted, then winced in pain.

"Kendall," Logan said, his panic evident in his voice. "Are you okay?"

Kendall nodded. "Yeah, just moved my back the wrong way. I'm trying to keep Katie comfortable."

"Maybe I can move her," James said as he pulled up a chair and got ready to carry Katie so she could sleep on his lap. "You could lay down more comfortably."

Kendall shook his head. "She's already so comfortable," he said, looking at his sleeping sister once again. "I like having her here. I haven't seen her in days and I really miss her...Besides, with the way she's sleeping now, it looks like she hasn't been sleeping very much lately, hasn't she?"

Kendall's three best friends shook their heads.

"I thought so," he responded sadly. "Mom said that Katie's felt guilty about the entire thing. That if she hadn't led me outside I wouldn't have been grabbed at the party. I hate that she felt that way." A thought suddenly struck Kendall as he looked over to Carlos. "Carlos. Did you get your helmet back?"

Carlos' eyes widened. He hadn't thought about his helmet for the past week. He shook his head. There was no way he was getting his precious black piece of plastic back. At this point, he didn't even think he wanted it anymore. Gavin had beaten him with it, he wasn't going to forget that.

"I'm sorry Carlitos," Kendall said. "You lost it cuz of me, didn't you?"

Carlos shook his head again, this time more furiously. "No! Don't blame yourself, Kendall! It was just a helmet. Helmets can be replaced..." He looked into Kendall's piercing green eyes. "You can't."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay...so honestly. What'd you think of this chapter?<br>**


	27. We Are One

**So...I was like, "let's take a break from angst..." Yeah right! Even a seemingly happy chapter will have a minuscule amount of angst. I just cannot help it.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"The guys told me about the song you plan to sing for me at your next concert," Kendall said to Amirah, who was sitting on the edge of his bed. The guys, along with Camille and Amirah, had come to visit him.<p>

Amirah was glad that her extremely dark skin was hiding her potential blushing. She finally shrugged. "It's a work in progress."

"Well let's hear it," Logan suggested, earning nods from his three best friends and girlfriend.

Amirah sighed in response. "Okay," she said. "But just remember that it's not completely finished yet so don't laugh!" She looked at Kendall and began singing her slow song.

As you go through life you'll see  
>There is so much that we<br>Don't understand

And the only thing we know  
>Is things don't always go<br>The way we planned

But you'll see every day  
>That we'll never turn away<br>When it seems all your dreams come undone

We will stand by your side  
>Filled with hope and filled with pride<br>We are more than we are  
>We are one<p>

If there's so much I must be  
>Can I still just be me<br>The way I am?

Can I trust in my own heart  
>Or am I just one part<br>Of some big plan?

Even those who are gone  
>Are with us as we go on<br>Your journey has only begun

Tears of pain, tears of joy  
>One thing nothing can destroy<br>Is our pride, deep inside  
>We are one<p>

We are one, you and I  
>We are like the earth and sky<br>One family under the sun

All the wisdom to lead  
>All the courage that you need<br>You will find when you see  
>We are one<p>

She gave a sigh of relief when she finally finished.

"That. Was. Amazing," Kendall finally said, causing everyone to once again nod in agreement.

"Now let's hear another," Camille said.

Amirah glared at the small girl and pointed her index finger at her. "Don't. Push it," she warned.

Suddenly, Kendall's doctor walked in. "And how's Mr. Knight feeling this afternoon?" he happily asked.

Kendall smiled. "Good enough to go home," he attempted. He's only been conscious for two days but he was already eager to leave. Just thinking about the fact that he has been in a hospital for a total and nine days and counting made him want to die.

Dr. Monroe smiled. "Nice try, Kendall," he responded, seeing as how this wasn't Kendall's first attempt of trying to make a run for it. "Actually, I have some visitors for you," he announced.

Kendall raised one of his big eyebrows. Which visitors? All his friends were with him. His mom and Katie were at the apartment, taking a break that Kendall had forced them to take. The Garcias should be with the two to make sure that they were indeed, taking a break. "What visitors?" he asked, curiosity eating him up inside. Gustavo and Kelly? That couldn't be right. Gustavo and Kelly had to take a trip to New York. So who could it have been?

Dr. Monroe nodded. He suddenly became serious. "I think you should see them."

"O-okay," Kendall responded, unsure of himself. "Let 'em in, I guess."

Everyone waited in anticipation as they watched Dr. Monroe leave the room in order to get Kendall's visitors.

The door slowly opened, and Kendall's eyes widened at the sight of the two people walking in. "M-Martin?" Kendall asked not being able to tell if this was real, or if the pain medications had made him go delirious. Again.

Martin gave a shy smile as he pulled a familiar looking girl inside with him. "Hi Kendall," he greeted. He then greeted everyone else in the room. "This is Diana," Martin said as he gestured to the girl that he entered with.

Kendall smiled. While everyone else was confused at the exchange going on between the two, Kendall knew who Diana was. "Your daughter," he said as he smiled at the girl, who too much resembled the girl that played as Rue in the Hunger Games movie. "Hi, Diana. Your dad has told me so much about you,"

Diana blushed. "H-hi Kendall," she nervously responded. "How are you feeling?"

Kendall smiled. "I'm doing so well, thanks Diana. You know, the doctor said that I would be much worse if it wasn't for your dad. He helped save me."

Diana smiled.

"Oh," Kendall said, remembering something. "I guess you already know who my best friends are. Carlos, James, and Logan." Diana nodded in response. She _was_ a fan after all.

"You know Logan's girlfriend Camille too, right?" Kendall said, pointing to the small brunette.

Diana smiled and nodded. "She's in my favorite movie, Night of the Kamikaze." The boys all had surprised expressions on their faces, seeing as how a girl that looked so sweet and innocent had a dark side.

Camille's eyebrows perked up as she let a huge smile appear on her face.

"And lastly," Kendall said, pointing to Amirah. "You know my g-"

Everyone's eyebrows perked up, but Diana cut Kendall off before anyone could react any further. "I know Amirah. I have all her CD's. My favorite CD is her "Royalty" one."

"I like that one too," Kendall said, earning an appreciative smile from Amirah.

Her cuteness could just kill everyone in the room. Right then and there.

"I'm glad you're getting better, Kendall," Martin said. "I...I had Diana flown over here because...really...we wanted to thank you...and I needed to ask for your forgiveness. For everyone's forgiveness."

"Why are you thanking us?" Logan asked. "We should be thanking you. You helped Kendall."

"And we totally forgive you," Carlos added. "You didn't want to do any of the stuff Gavin made you do. We're just glad that the police got him...but...what's gonna happen to you?"

"That's why I came to thank you boys," Martin said. "I'm going home." He looked over at Carlos. "When you told the police about me, they took in every word. I'll still have to be present at the trial...and possibly will have to confess to somethings that I highly regret. But," He put his arm around Diana. "I'm going home. That's all that matters."

"That's great," James said with all sincerity. "You and your daughter can finally live in peace."

Martin nodded. "I have to stay in California until the trial ends, but after that, me and Diana are moving out of Minnesota. We need a fresh start." He smiled. "We're considering moving to Chicago."

"Well, no matter what route you take," Kendall said before he smiled. "I hope it works for the best. You two deserve it."

Martin could feel his eyes watering up. "You boys are extremely fantastic. After everything I helped Gavin put you through, you can still find it in your hearts to forgive me. Why?"

"It's just like what I told the cops," Carlos answered. "You were kidnapped too. Just..not the same way Kendall was."

Martin smiled. "Thanks, boys."

Diana broke away from her dad's grasp and approached Kendall's bed. Without warning, she wrapped her hands around Kendall's torso, then kissed his cheek as she let go of him. "I'm glad you're okay, Kendall."

"Me too," he whispered, suddenly unable to find his voice.

"We should get going," Martin said as he led his daughter away.

"Th-thanks for coming," Kendall said to them as they started walking out. "Wow," he breathed out once they were gone. "They're just so..." he couldn't think of what to say.

"They're great people," Amirah said, hoping that she accurately finished Kendall's sentence.

Kendall turned to her. He smiled and nodded.

"K-Kendall?" Carlos asked his friend, suddenly feeling worried. "The trial...do you think...you think you'll be able to do it?"

Kendall scoffed. "Well, it's not like it's something that I can back out of just because I don't feel like doing it."

"That's not the point, Kendall," Logan said. "You're gonna go up there. You gonna say every horrendous thing that Gavin did to you. The prosecutor and jury have to hear every single detail."

"Then to make it worse," Amirah began to add. "Gavin's lawyer is going to find every way possible to make it seem like in the end, Gavin was really the victim, and that you're the monster."

It's not like his friends were trying to scare him. They were just trying to prepare him for the worst.

"I know," Kendall replied as he felt tears forming in his eyes. "I know that, okay? But in the end I still gotta do this. I'm not gonna lie to myself or to you guys. I'm really scared. More scared than I've been in a while. I have nightmares about my time with Gavin, some flashbacks of things that actually happened, some over-exaggerations or things I thought would have happened." He gripped his sheets hard, his knuckles began turning white. "I can't hear Gavin's name without shaking, feeling sick, or just plain freaking out. Sometimes I think that he's escaped once again and that he's coming after me. But I'm not gonna let him win. I CAN'T let him win. I need to face my fear of Gavin, even if it means making me uncomfortable for a while. He WILL stay in prison and I'll make sure of it...Not just for me... but for my father too."

Kendall's friends hadn't seen him this fired up for anything. But then again, revenge for his father's death had never come into discussion before.

"And we'll be with you every step of the way," James said as he placed a comforting hand on Kendall's shoulder. "Like Amirah sang to you, we are one. You're not gonna go through this alone. We won't let that happen."

Kendall released the waterworks, feeling ashamed once again for crying in front of all his friends. "Th-thank you...s-so much," he stuttered in between sobs.

"Any time, bro," Logan said as he grabbed Kendall's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Any time."

* * *

><p>James wasn't going to sleep tonight. He made that conclusion as he stared up at his bedroom ceiling after checking the time. 3:20AM.<p>

Their visit to the hospital had shaken him up. Yeah, he had fun being around all his friends. James was happy to see Kendall smile. But in the end, James wanted all of this to be over soon, but he knew that it was just the beginning.

He didn't want to see Kendall sad anymore. He didn't want Kendall breaking down after the smallest mention of Gavin. He didn't want Kendall afraid of the dark.

Yeah, Kendall was afraid of the dark now, by the way.

_It was all found out a few hours after he woke from his seemingly long coma, the doctors had turned off the light, suggesting that Kendall gets as much rest as possible._

_Unfortunately, as soon as Dr. Monroe turned out the light, Kendall began screaming. Everyone practically jumped at the sound of the teenager's scream. Dr. Monroe scrambled to turn the light switch on, but the damage had already been done._

_Once the lights had been turned back on, Kendall reached for his mom and pulled her into a hug, ignoring the pain it was causing on his back. "D-don't let them hurt me, Mama," he said between his sobbing and heavy breathing._

_Jennifer began reassuring her son that everything would be alright. Kendall's reaction was scaring her and Katie, who the whole time was staring wide eyed at her brother._

_"Kendall," Jennifer said, hearing the sound of Kendall choking on his sobs and his ragged breathing. "You need to calm down and breathe, sweetie. I'm right here and no one's gonna hurt you okay?" _

_Kendall just held his mom tighter, trying to process what exactly was going on. He was in his mother's arms, so why didn't he feel safe?_

_"What's that?" Katie asked Dr. Monroe once she snapped out of her trance to find Dr. Monroe approaching her brother with a syringe._

_"He's not calming down," he replied. "I sorry, but I have to sedate him."_

_"Don't. Please," Jennifer begged. "He's just a little freaked out." She held Kendall tighter, but loosened her grip in him when he hissed in pain._

_"He needs to calm himself down otherwise he'll hurt himself even more." He stuck the needle into Kendall's IV before he could gain a reaction from Jennifer or Katie._

_Jennifer felt Kendall's body slowly relaxing._

_"M-Mom..." Kendall said weakly as his eyes began to droop closed._

_"I'm sorry," she replied as she gently laid Kendall back down on his bed, and planted a kiss on his forehead. She watched Kendall as he finally fell into a peaceful sleep._

When Katie, while still in tears, told James, Carlos, and Logan about that incident, they were beyond mad. The doctors should have known that Kendall would have a reaction like that. He's a kidnap victim for crying out loud!

James was seething as he thought about everything they did wrong, but raised his eyebrows at a curious sound.

His eyes widened as he realized something important. Carlos was having another nightmare.

He jumped out of bed and took two large steps over to Carlos' bed, careful to not step on Logan, and desperately attempted to pull Carlos from his sleep.

"Carlos," he whispered loudly at his thrashing friend. "Carlos. Wake up!"

Carlos stopped moving. His eye fluttered open as he wiped the sweat that had formed on his forehead. "J-James?" he asked sleepily.

James nodded. "Yeah, little guy. It's me." He pulled Carlos into a sitting position and hugged him. "Did you have a nightmare?"

He felt Carlos head nodding in response. "Sorry for waking you up," Carlos whispered.

"You didn't wake me up," James replied. "Honestly." He ran his fingers through Carlos' hair. "Was it another dream about Kendall?"

Carlos nodded again. "I can't stop thinking about the time we spent in that tiny room. It's stupid. I shouldn't be acting like this. Gavin barely did anything to me. Kendall's the one that's suffering. I'm just being a big wimp."

"No Carlos, that's not true." He held Carlos' body tighter. "You have a right to be scared. You saw Kendall at his worst. You were beaten by Gavin. You saw the way Kendall looked dead on the stretcher. You're gonna have nightmares, and it's okay to. And you know that one of us is always gonna be there to help you through any of those nightmares. Okay, buddy?"

Carlos smiled, then nodded for the third time. "Thanks, James. You always know what to say."

"I only say what's on my mind, buddy," James responded as he smiled also. "Now get some sleep, Carlitos. We're gonna go see Kendall first thing in the morning."

"Okay," Carlos said as him and James finally separated. "Thanks again, James."

James smiled as he laid back in bed. He waited to hear Carlos' soft snores before he decided to let himself finally fall asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay. First of, the song I used here was "We Are One" by Angelique Kidjo. She's one awesome lady.<strong>

**Didja like that? XD**


	28. Thirteen

**I forgive you if you say that this chapter is majorly boring.**

**Enjoy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Another nine days later, Kendall was discharged. The Dr. Monroe had given them careful instructions, seeing that Kendall was still in a fragile state.<p>

So of course, as soon as Kendall stepped foot into apartment 2J, he was smothered.

"Are you okay, Sweetie?" his mom would ask.

"Do you feel any pain, Big Brother," Katie would ask.

"Do you need me to get you anything?" Logan offered.

"Are you hungry?" Carlos asks, ready to head to the kitchen to grab whatever was available.

"If you tired I can get some blankets for you," James said, seeing as how he made a spot on the orange couch specially for Kendall.

"Guys!" Kendall finally yelled when he got a word in. He plopped down on the couch. "I'm fine." He gave them a reassuring smile when he saw that not everyone was convinced. Kendall knew they were trying to help. The doctor said that he couldn't exert himself, and the fact that he was on really strong pain medications would only tire him out even faster. But honestly, Kendall did want some space.

"Uh oh," Logan said. "We're annoying you already, aren't we?" He stared nervously at Kendall, already knowing the answer.

Kendall nodded guiltily.

"We're sorry Kendall," Carlos said. "We just don't want to see you hurt again, you know? The doctor said that letting yourself get too tired will only make you feel worse. We just wanna protect you." The boys agreed on one thing. They could never stand the sight, or thought, of Kendall being in pain. He had done so much for them, they only thought it was time to pay him back for everything.

"I know, Carlos," Kendall said, suddenly feeling like a big jerk. "I guess it's just that...I'm so not used to being...dependent." Kendall dreaded the feeling of dependency and avoided the thought of it at all costs. He has never had to depend on anyone. Kendall could only imagine that his friends were thinking about how weak he had become. He didn't want them feeling that. He was still the same Kendall, just a little broken.

"Well get used to it," James said playfully. "Because for the next few weeks, you're gonna depend on us a lot, like it or not."

Kendall let out a dramatic exhale.

So," Logan said. "Anytime you feel pain or any type of discomfort, you let us know. Okay?"

"Okay, Mama Mitchel," Kendall replied jokingly. Logan just rolled his eyes.

Logan's phone began ringing, making him jump. It was a text from Camille.

_From: Camille_  
><em>Can we come see Kendall?<em>

Logan looked over to his blonde friend. "Kendall," Logan said. "Are you up for visitors? And don't lie. If you're tired, say it."

"Logan. I swear I'm okay," Kendall reassured him. "I can take visitors."

"Okay," Logan replied as he texted Camille that she could come over.

Kendall was excited for the fact that he was able to see all his friends in his home instead of a disgusting hospital room.

Camille and Amirah came a few minutes later, engulfing the skinny boy in a group hug, which he didn't mind. But his friends, of course, began freaking out, ordering the two girls to be careful.

"You guys," Kendall whined in embarrassment. He looked at them with pleading eyes, hoping they would get the idea and cool off a bit.

Camille giggled. "They're just trying to protect you, Kendall," she said, earning a nod from Amirah. "I can't really blame them."

"So," Amirah said. "Now that Kendall's back, what does Kendall wanna do?"

"Go to the pool?" Kendall shyly asked, already fearing what the answer would be.

"Absolutely not," his five friends all said at the same time. Kendall slumped his shoulders.

"You know the rules, Kendall," Logan stated.

"How about a movie?" Amirah finally suggested, earning shrugs and "why not"s from the people in the room.

"I know what we can watch!" Carlos said excitedly as he headed to the movie collection, messing up the perfect order the movies were stacked in search of one movie. "Found it," he said a few moments later.

Logan tilted his head. "You were on a desperate movie hunt, messing up my arrangement by the way, all for Winnie the Pooh?"

Carlos smiled and nodded. Logan just rolled his eyes in response. Once Carlos had stuck the movie into the DVD player, the six teenagers comfortably positioned themselves on the couch

Halfway into the movie, Kendall fell asleep on Amirah's shoulder, signaling for the two girls to leave. Camille slowly stood up.

"Um..." Amirah said before she could stand up. "How do I move without waking him up?"

"Oh yeah," Logan muttered. He looked at Kendall, who was curled up on the couch, his head resting on Amirah's shoulder. It was the most peaceful they had seen their blonde leader in a long time.

"Here," James offered as he stood up. "We need to get him to bed. Sleeping like that for too long will be bad for his back. You guys know that." Ever since Kendall had been taken from them, each of the boys had stepped up in responsibility. Each of them had matured in their own little ways. Logan had stepped up to take the role as the temporary leader. Carlos had been the one of the group that began stopping fights and bringing everyone up when they felt down. James, he became way more protective of his friends. When he saw Kendall lying in the hospital bed, completely unresponsive, James almost went crazy. He swore that he never wanted to see Kendall in pain ever again. James never wanted Kendall's green eyes to close, as weird or selfish as it sounded.

James knew how ridiculous he was being, but he also blamed himself for Kendall's kidnapping, he just never voiced it as much as Carlos and Katie had. Kendall was willing to go to that party so that he wouldn't disappoint James. James had been so excited for that party, and Kendall suffered for it.

"I can carry Kendall to his room," James finally said.

"You sure that won't wake him up?" Camille asked, shifting her worried glance between Kendall and James.

"He's on strong pain meds," James responded. "Even if Kendall does wake up, he'll fall back asleep quickly." James gently lifted Kendall off the couch, bridal style. "Amirah," he said softly. "Can you help me tuck him in?"

Amirah nodded and followed James. He showed her Kendall's bed, asking her to move the blankets out of the way. Once James laid Kendall down, Amirah placed the blankets on top of Kendall.

Kendall stirred.

"Thanks," James said.

"It's okay," Amirah said softly. She sighed. "H-has he gotten his appetite back?" she asked.

James nodded. "A little bit...he doesn't eat as much as he used to before...you know...but he's improving."

"That's better than nothing," Amirah responded. "I can bring you guys lunch tomorrow...if you want me to."

"I think Kendall would like that," James said as he smiled at her. "You know, you and Camille have helped us out a lot. Thanks."

Amirah shook her head. "Stop thanking me. That's what friends are for." She scoffed. "Remember when I first moved here? You guys and Camille were the only ones that would talk to me. The Jennifers made fun of me cuz I was too tall, that Lucy girl didn't like my accent, which, I don't have by the way, and Steve and I don't talk at all cuz I hang out with Camille. Oh, not to mention, Jett Stetson, is one serious creeper. But around you guys, I was comfortable." She smiled, remembering the last run in she has with Jett.

James chuckled. "Okay, I see your point...You know, there was a time that we were in the eighth grade. I was cornered behind the school by these two guys. According to them, I messed up their lives er something. I wasn't paying attention. Truth be told, I was kinda scared. They said they were gonna kill me. Kendall seriously musta came outta nowhere. He saw the two guys and heard what they were saying to me. So he charged up to the two of them, punched one in the face, and kneed the other one in the groin."

Amirah smiled at the story. "Yup. That sounds like him."

"Kendall always did everything in his power to make sure that his friends were okay," James continued. "And when it mattered...we weren't there. We were partying. We were celebrating while Kendall was about to face the hardest challenge of his life. I wish I could have been there. I coulda saved him. He suffered because I desperately wanted to go to that party."

"Is he mad at you?" Amirah asked. James looked confused, but he shook his head anyway. "So, don't worry about what you coulda done in the past. Yeah, you weren't there when Kendall was kidnapped. What? Do you think he wanted you there?" she asked, earning James shaking his head once again. "Exactly. The point is, you're here for him now. That's what he needs."

"Yeah...I guess you're right," James finally sighed out once Amirah's words sunk in.

"I know," Amirah said with a smile. "I better get going. You should get some sleep too, okay?"

James nodded. He and Amirah began walking out of Kendall's and Logan's room when James pulled Amirah into a hug. He felt her tense up, not expecting the sudden action, but she relaxed and returned the hug. "Thanks for that Amirah," he whispered. He let her go.

"No problem James," she responded. She smiled once again. "I'll see you boys tomorrow."

James watched as Amirah walked out of the room. He turned his gaze back to Kendall, just to make sure that he was still okay. When he saw that Kendall was still peacefully asleep, he sighed in relief, turned out the lights, and silently walked out. He thought about everything that had been going on the past few weeks. Things were getting better. They must be getting better. Kendall was still broken, that was still pretty obvious, but he was getting better. That made James happy. Kendall was improving. Just give him time, and Kendall would be back to his old self.

* * *

><p>When Kendall woke up, all he could think about was the number thirteen. The unlucky thirteen. He had thirteen days until his trial. Thirteen horrible days until the trial.<p>

He didn't realize how late it was until he turned his head and glanced at the clock. It was 1:35PM. How he managed to sleep throughout the entire morning was beyond him. That's when he realized, _how'd I get to my bedroom last night?_

Kendall slowly rose from his bed, hearing his friends' voice in the living room. He walked to the living room.

"Kendall!" Carlos called out, being the first to notice that Kendall was awake.

"I slept this entire time?" he asked sleepily. His friends nodded. "Whoa," he whispered in response. "Oh...how'd I get to my bedroom last night?"

"James carried you," Logan answered, making James remember how light his blonde friend had gotten. Kendall was always skinny, but he shouldn't have been THAT skinny.

"And Amirah tucked you in," James finished.

Kendall's eyes widened as he remembered something. "I feel asleep on her, didn't I?" he asked, earning nods from his friends once again. "Aw man, I hope I didn't drool on her."

His friends giggled, worrying Kendall into believing that he did, indeed, drool on Amirah's shoulder.

"Get cleaned up," James commanded him, but nicely. "Amirah and Camille are coming back. Amirah has lunch for you."

Kendall smiled shyly as he headed to the bathroom. He quickly took a shower, then brushed his teeth. He looked at himself in the mirror, not being able to believe how much he had let himself go. Kendall wasn't like James at all when it came to caring about his looks. Looks weren't that important to him. But right now, the way he was looking just bothered him. It was obvious in his face how much weight he had lost. His hair hung lifeless, dark circles colored his eyes, despite the large amounts of sleep he had been receiving.

He groaned as he walked out of the bathroom towel-clad and to his bedroom, ready to put on any pieces of clothes that would fit. Once he found some black jeans, a plain long sleeve shirt, and a flannel shirt he was content with, he headed to the living room, surprised to see Camille and Amirah already hanging with the other guys as they all waited for him.

"Hey, Kendall!" both girls greeted in unison as they saw him enter the living room.

Amirah got off the couch. "I hope you're hungry," she said as she entered the kitchen. As he took a seat on the couch, Kendall noticed her gathering a few things before coming out with a plate of food specially for him. "I made it at my apartment before coming here," she stated when she noticed a look of confusion on Kendall's face.

Kendall took the plate of food, filled with foreign food. As he expected. "Thanks," he said with a smile.

_I could've been a Princess, You'd be a King_  
><em>Could've had a castle, and worn a ring<em>  
><em>But no, you let me go<em>

Everyone turned to the source of the sudden noise. Camille shyly pulled out her phone. "It's my agent, okay?" she said, silencing her phone. "I'll talk to him later."

"You stole my star!" Amirah randomly sang out, suddenly having the song stuck in head. "That song is totally dedicated to me," she stated.

"How is "Princess of China" dedicated to you in any way?" Logan asked.

Amirah sat in silence before responding. "Okay...well I'm not a princess of China...but I'm a princess of Africa!"

"Really?" Carlos asked excitedly, being the only one believing Amirah's lie. Logan nudged him. Carlos turned to Logan, who mouthed the word "NO" as he shook his head.

"Okay, okay," Amirah said. "So I'm not really a princess. BUT, my name means princess in Arabic. That counts for something!"

"Oooohhh," the four boys said in unison.

The door opened, and Jennifer and Katie walked in.

"Hey Mom. Katie," Kendall greeted the two with a smile on his face.

The two of them had nervous expressions on their faces, confusing Kendall and everybody else in the room. That's when it dawned on Kendall.

It was time to go to his first therapy session.

* * *

><p>Kendall wasn't against therapy. He figured that if that's what made people comfortable and feel better, then they should go for it.<p>

The only problem was, Kendall wasn't one of those people. He never imagined himself ever needing a therapy session. He was Kendall Knight. He was the strong one. The leader. He didn't want therapy. He just wanted everything to be normal again. Therapy doesn't bring back that normality.

Jennifer looked over to her son as the two of them sat in the waiting room. She reached out a hand and began rubbing Kendall's back when she saw the look he had on his face. "It's okay to be nervous, Sweetie," she said to him.

"I don't wanna do this Mom," Kendall responded, due to the fact that was the only thing he could think of to say.

"Do you want me to go in with you this time around?" she offered.

"No," Kendall responded, shaking his head. He knew the doctor was going to have him talk about what went on with Gavin. Kendall didn't want his mom to hear everything. Jennifer had only really been given the unspecified details of Kendall's ordeal with Gavin. He couldn't bear to see the look on her face when she was to hear everything.

That why he saved the task of having her find out everything until the trial. That way, he was away from her as he told the story. Kendall planned on looking at everything else besides his mom, his friends, and sister.

All Kendall could think about was how weak he had been. Would his friends think any less of him when they hear the full story? Do they think any less of him already?

When Kendall was called in, he stuffed his hands in his pockets, hoping that it would hide how badly he was shaking.

A brunette woman, Dr. Richards, led Kendall into her office. Once Kendall accepted the seat she had offered him, she smiled at him. "So, Kendall," she began. "Tell me about yourself."

Kendall thought about that command. What exactly did she want to know. His personal life? School life? His relationships? His fears...?

Dr. Richards chuckled. "Okay. Let me rephrase that," she said after seeing the confused expression Kendall wore in his face. "Let's start with the basics. That woman out there is your mother. Correct?" she asked earning a nod from Kendall. "Tell me about her."

Kendall sighed. He had so much to say about her. "Um... she's a really strong woman," he began. "After my father was killed, she raised my sister and I all by herself. She always puts the people she loves ahead of herself. She's willing to make just about any sacrifice if it means she's helping someone."

"You mentioned your sister," Dr. Richards stated. "Tell me about her."

"She's truly amazing," Kendall said. "Seriously, I don't think I could do a lot of the things I do if it wasn't for her."

"You two are that close?" Dr. Richards asked.

"Yeah," Kendall responded. "We hardly fight. She's strong too. Like my mom. She's very devious, which is a good thing, but a little scary sometimes, you know?" Kendall nervously chuckled.

"And your friends?" Dr. Richards asked.

Kendall seriously felt like Dr. Richards was trying to pry into his life. Did she want to know everything? "My three best friends are Logan, James, and Carlos. Logan's really smart. He's a really shy guy and never gives himself enough credit for what he can do. James is the...pretty one," he said carefully, hoping Dr. Richards wouldn't get the wrong idea. "He cares a lot about his looks. Like...A LOT. But that's all people see. They just see a guy who's superficial and only cares about himself. When the truth is, he cares so much for his friends. He's one of the nicest guys you'll meet. Carlos is just one big ball of energy. He loves everybody and he can brighten up everyone's day. He's really sensitive though, so he's always a great shoulder to cry on, I guess."

Everything Kendall was saying was being carefully heard by Dr. Richards. She was always nodding her head, taking in everything Kendall was saying. "And you say that these people have helped you a lot throughout this entire ordeal?"

Kendall nodded. "Th-they've done so much for me. They lose sleep always comforting me from a scary nightmare. I always end up scaring the crap outta them because when I have a REALLY bad dream...it's like...it's like I'm not there. I freak out, cry, I even got violent a few times. The looks on their faces when they see me like that...and their lives are completely centered around me now. I appreciate the fact that they're willing to drop everything, just to make sure that I'm okay." Kendall felt his eyes tearing up. "But I've become such a huge inconvenience to them. I wish...I wish everything can be normal again."

"And that's what I'm here," Dr. Richards said in a comforting matter. "I want to help you feel safe again. Will you let me help turn things back to normal?"

Kendall looked into Dr. Richards' eyes. She was here to help. And right now, he'd give anything to go back to the "normality" of before. Unable to find words, he just nodded. He was ready to accept help.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, at first, this chapter was to be split in two, that's why it's SUPER long. But I decided against it.<strong>

**Leave a review and tell me how you liked it!**


	29. If Only Looks Could Kill

**I took my SAT's this past Saturday...then saw Avengers...BEST MOVIE EVER!  
><strong>

**Enjoy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Logan watched as Kendall fiddled with the tie on his neck. This was it. The trial. Kendall was to tell his story. In front of an audience. A crazy defense lawyer working for Gavin. An unpredictable jury. Anything goes today. Logan only hoped that everything goes the RIGHT way.<p>

Logan will never forget the first time he saw Kendall's back. He knew he should have knocked before entering their room, but he didn't think anything of it. The next thing he knew, he opened the door to find Kendall putting on his shirt. The scars covering Kendall's back made him nauseous, and he couldn't even begin to imagine what it felt like. Kendall gasped. He was very self conscious about his scars. Logan tried looking away, but instead, he stared, his mouth hanging open.

Kendall felt hurt. Betrayed. All he could think about was what could possibly be going on in Logan's mind. He started yelling, begging Logan to just leave.

Logan cried that day. It wasn't just a few tears and sniffles. Logan cried hard that day. Carlos and James walked in on his sobbing fest in the living room. He was too in shock to even think about it. Kendall's back was messed up. Those scars will stay with him forever. A thousand thoughts flowed through Logan's head as Carlos and James pulled him into a hug.

Logan sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair.

Kendall let out a humorless laugh. "You seem more nervous than I am," he said to Logan.

Logan chuckled. "Would it make sense to you if I said that I probably am?" he asked in response.

Kendall gave a crooked smile and nodded.

There was a knock on the door before Katie walked into the boys' bedroom. She was dressed up for court in an outfit their mother had chosen out the day before. A red skirt and a black and white shirt. "Kendall," she addressed her older brother. "A-are you ready to go? Mom says we should start heading to the courthouse."

Kendall nodded in response. He looked toward Logan before both boys followed Katie out.

Everyone was waiting in the living room.

"Ready to go, Kendall?" his mother asked.

"Yeah," he replied. He rubbed the back of his neck. "C-can I meet you guys at the van?" he asked. "There's something I gotta go do first."

Jennifer looked at her son, ready to say no. But she knew saying no would only cause more problems. "You have five minutes," she finally said. "I'll pull up the van up front."

"Thanks, Mom," Kendall said. He watched as his mother, sister, and best friends walked out of the apartment, before he himself walked out and head the opposite direction. He took the elevator and headed to apartment 4M, where he knocked anxiously.

"Kendall," Amirah said when she opened the door. "Shouldn't you be at your trial?" she asked. _You know, the trial that you told me and Camille to back off from when we just wanted to show our support?_she thought in her head. She wouldn't have dared to say that out loud.

"Yeah," Kendall said. "I-I just wanted to...you know...say hi...and apologize for being so harsh to you and Camille. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you two."

Kendall didn't want to sound so mean. When the girls offered to accompany him to the trial, he exploded. It was bad enough that his family and best friends were going to hear everything. He didn't want a bigger audience.

"Hey," Amirah said. "It's okay. We shouldn't have pushed ourselves on you."

They stood together in a semi-awkward silence for a while.

"So good luck," Amirah finally said. "Maybe when this whole thing blows over, you and I can...well...I don't know if 'celebrate' is the right word but..."

"That'll be cool," Kendall said, interrupting her ramble. He checked his watch. "I better start going," he finally said. "I'll catch you around." He began turning around, but stopped. "One more thing," he said. He leaned closer to Amirah and planted a small peck on her lips. "That's to say thanks," he said when he broke apart.

"Y-you're...you're welcome," she said, finding herself sort of speechless. "Now go there, and make sure Gavin gets the punishment he deserves!"

* * *

><p>Kendall shrank back as he arrived in the front of the courthouse. He knew what to expect. Paparazzi. Those media hounds were waiting for him. He felt his chest constricting and his mind spinning. Kendall, his friends, and his mom and sister were mercilessly surrounded by them.<p>

Kendall could hear his friends try to tell the reporters to back off, but to no avail.

"No no no no no," Kendall kept chanting. He couldn't believe this was happening. He just wanted to get away. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that the next time he opened them, they would have all vanished. Like all of this was just a dream. He felt a large hand rest on his shoulder, causing him to jump.

His surroundings suddenly felt less crowded, as if the waves of reporters had separated like the Red Sea.

"Are you okay?" Kendall heard a familiar voice ask him. It sounded distant in his panic.

He slowly opened his eyes. "Fr-Freight Train?" he stuttered, not being able to believe it. When he saw Gustavo's large right hand man smile, Kendall relaxed. "Th-thanks." He could breathe again.

James put his hand on Kendall's shoulder, glad that his friend had kept relatively calm throughout the whole thing.

"Kelly and Gustavo are inside the courthouse," Freight Train informed everyone. "Gustavo figured these vultures would be here." He led everyone inside the courthouse, still on the lookout for any stray paparazzi.

They were greeted by Casey Neal, their red headed female prosecutor. Kendall smiled at her. "Hi Ms Neal," he greeted.

"Hello, Kendall," she replied. "Are you nervous?" Kendall nodded in response. "Don't be," she said in a nice but strict way. "Just tell them everything you told me, and you'll win this."

Everyone entered the courtroom and listened as the bailiff introduced the judge and mentioned the jury.

Once everyone was settled, Casey Neal began a short speech. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. We are here today because over a month ago, the lives of four innocent boys were drastically changed by a man named Gavin Rollins. He brutally attacked Carlos Garcia and Logan Mitchell. He poisoned James Diamond. And lastly, he kidnapped and tortured Kendall Knight. What he did was absolutely unacceptable. He has no excuse, and he must be punished for his actions." She pointed to where Kendall sat with his friends. "Don't let the man that ruined those boys' lives go free."

Casey sat down, glaring at Gavin and his lawyer, Mike Lloyd.

No one really listened to Lloyd's speech. Kendall heard something about Gavin be oppressed. Logan heard "tragic happenings" somewhere in that speech. Carlos and James didn't hear much of anything at all. All they could think about was how Kendall was doing.

Kendall tuned out. His mind wandered endlessly as he wished for all of this to be over already. He felt Logan put his arm around his shoulder, and that helped him relax a little bit.

Jennifer was crying as Gavin was called to the stand. The man that killed her husband. The man that tried to kill her son. The man that tried to tear them apart. She listened as Gavin gave his testimony. Rage was building up inside of her. He was blaming everything on her husband. Gavin's first victim.

Casey just rolled her eyes. It was her turn to start questioning Gavin. "So Mr. Rollins," she said. "If William Knight, the man who you claimed ruined your life, is already dead, why did you go after his son?"

"The pain of what William did to me still hurt," Gavin replied, sounding like a hurt child. "I couldn't ever let this go. I'm sorry that I had to involve his son in this. But...I don't know...I thought it would help relieve some of the pain."

Gavin turned to face Kendall. He began glaring at the blonde.

"It's okay," Logan said to Kendall, feeling his friend tense up. "He can't do anything to you anymore." He started rubbing circles on Kendall's back. "Just relax buddy. Everything will be alright."

Kendall looked at Logan, looking into the brown eyes he had learned to trust a long time ago. "I know," he finally whispered. He gave Logan a reassuring smile.

'I suffered in silence," Gavin continued saying. "My wife left me and took the kids, saying that I can't do anything right. Then she said how much she envied Jennifer," Gavin practically spit out her name he was so full of hate. "Just because William was so much of a better person than I would ever be."

_Looks like you proved her right,_James said in his head.

Gavin was allowed back to his seat. As he walked back to his seat, his eyes met Jennifer, who was giving him such a hard glare. She wished looks could kill, that way, they'd be planning Gavin's funeral instead of making her son reliving his worst nightmare. She really, really wished looks could kill.

* * *

><p><strong>You see what I did with the lawyer Casey Neal? Maybe you Law and Order SVU watchers figured it out ;)<br>**

**Didja like this?  
><strong>

**Drop a review mis amigos!  
><strong>


	30. Testify

**This story is almost done. Just one more chapter before I put it to rest.**

**And...since no one got my "Casey Neal" reference, I shall tell ya. A red headed actress named Diane Neal, plays as a prosecutor named Casey Novak. :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>After the break, Kendall was called to the stand. After receiving unique pep talks from Logan, Carlos, James, his mom, Katie, Kelly, Gustavo, and Freight Train, he still didn't think he could do it.<p>

Kendall slowly made his way to the stand.

Casey looked at Kendall with sympathetic eyes before beginning to speak. "Kendall Knight, can you tell me how old you were when your father was killed?"

_Starting with the easy questions_, Kendall thought to himself. "I was seven," he replied. "And my sister, Katie, she was only one."

"That's very young. No one that young should lose their father," Casey pointed out, glancing over at the jury. "So tell me about what happened the night Gavin kidnapped you."

Kendall swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "Our producer, Gustavo," Kendall began. "H-he threw us a party because he thought we were doing so well. I-I brought Katie along because I didn't want her to worry about me. Well, my friends and I performed for our guests. When we finished, I glanced over at Katie and saw that she didn't look too well, so I took her outside because it was getting a little hot in there and I thought she'd feel better. We stood outside and everything seemed fine...until we started heading inside. I heard Katie scream and when I turned around, their was a man holding her and pressing a rag to her face. Before I could do anything, someone grabbed me and did the same thing. I heard him whisper 'Gavin's back' before I passed out." He looked over at Katie, seeing her big brown eyes filling up with tears. "I-I was just so scared because I thought he was going to do something to Katie..." he trailed off.

"And what did he do while he held you captive?" Casey asked.

Kendall began subconsciously rubbing at his wrists. "H-he kept me in a dark room...a basement or something. I wasn't sure." Kendall could feel Gavin staring at him. He tried ignoring the fact and continued. "He kept me chained up. I don't know. When I first woke up, he started talking about Katie. He wouldn't tell me where she was or if she was okay. I told him I'd kill him if she said that she was dead. He laughed and then grabbed my neck. I-I couldn't breathe. When he finally let go...I passed out I guess because I don't remember much after that. Well...sometime later...I don't know how much time had passed, he let me talk to my family over the phone. My mom asked if I knew where I was. I told her all I knew was that I was in a dark room. I guess that was too much information because Gavin punched me. He didn't do much to me after that for a while. A day later, according to my friends, Gavin sent them a picture of me."

"What was in the picture, Kendall?" Casey asked, already knowing the answer. She didn't want to hear the answer again, but she knew the jury needed to know.

Kendall sighed, feeling his eyes watering up. "He asked me to sing for him. I thought it was kind of weird, but I did it anyway. I started singing one of our songs, but he didn't like that. He wanted Journey, so I started singing one of their songs...but I forgot the lyrics..." Kendall spaced out, flashing back to what happened next.

Casey's voice sounded distant to him as she tried to bring him back. "What happened next, Kendall?"

Kendall snapped back into reality. "He, uh, he beat me. On my back. With a whip. It hurt so much." He let the tears in his eyes finally fall down his face.

Carlos looked at Kendall in concern. He knew that if Kendall talking about the beating is this hard, then Kendall describing his rape would be so much harder.

"That's when he took the picture," Kendall said to conclude his story about that day. "Then he sent it to my three best friends."

"What happened next?" Casey asked.

Kendall just wanted all of this to end. He couldn't stand the questions. He couldn't stand telling these stories. He just wanted to go home. To go home, crawl into bed, and sleep off his anxiety.

But it's never that easy, is it?

"Gavin came into the room one night. He was completely drunk," Kendall said. "I knew something was wrong. I knew he wanted to do something to me...I just couldn't think of what he was wanting to do." Kendall paused.

"And what did he do?" Casey asked.

Kendall tried to hold back his sobs. He was almost done telling what happened. He didn't to make this any longer than it should be. "Gavin kept getting closer and closer to me. He asked me what I was willing to do that day. I told him I could dance or sing for him, but he didn't want that. I got scared and kicked him away...He got really mad so...he held me down and just started...he started raping me! I tried fighting him off but he was just so strong and I was in so much pain so all I could do was scream." Kendall broke down and started crying. He could still feel Gavin on him and it scared him to no end. "I-I tried f-fighting. I really did," he said between sobs.

Jennifer had been crying the entire time. She held Katie close. Holding Katie was the only thing stopping Jennifer from standing up and begging them to stop questioning Kendall. He had enough. Couldn't they see that? She looked over to Kendall's friends. Logan and Carlos had a look of sheer horror and sadness on their faces. James, he was the very opposite of them. She could see the anger James was holding in. His hands were balled up into fists. His breathing had grown rough. Jennifer looked over to Kelly. She had tears running down her face. Even Gustavo and Freight Train had sympathetic looks on their faces. Her thoughts were interrupted when Kendall began speaking again.

"I passed out after that. I don't know how long I was asleep. I woke up and a while later, Martin came in, offering food, gave me a blanket, and cleaned up my back wounds. Well, I passed out again while Martin was cleaning up my back. It just really hurt. I woke up to the sound of Carlos yelling at Martin so I must have been asleep for a very long time. Well, Carlos and I were together for a while, but I kept falling asleep. The blood loss was making me really tired, and I was feeling really sick." Kendall inhaled deeply. "Gavin came in. He started hurting Carlos...WITH HIS OWN HELMET! When Carlos became unconscious, Gavin moved on to me. He s-started choking me. I really...I really thought I was gonna die..."

"And the next time you woke up," Casey stated, helping Kendall finish his story. He didn't need to talk more than he wanted to. "You were in a hospital. In a coma for seven days?" she asked, receiving a nod from Kendall. "No further questions."

* * *

><p>Logan sat by Kendall's bed as the blonde lay soundly asleep.<p>

They won. Kendall's testimony moved the jury to tears. Gavin's going to jail, and everyone is doing everything in their power to make sure he stays there.

After they got home from court, Kendall took off his shoes, suit jacket, and neck tie, and went straight to bed. No one could blame the poor boy. By the time the trial ended, he looked like he was inches away from death. Kendall had never felt so physically AND emotionally exhausted at the same time before. Logan was there when Kendall went to bed, and he wanted to be there when he wakes up. The room was extremely quiet. The only noise heard was Kendall's deep breathing and the sound of Logan sighing every once in a while.

Kendall had been asleep for a little over an hour and a half before Katie walked in. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked as she slowly approached Kendall's bed. She had a worried look on her face as she watched her brother sleep.

Logan nodded and a crooked smile formed on his face. "Yeah, he'll be okay," he responded. "Kendall's just had a long day. He'll feel better when he wakes up."

Katie brushed away Kendall's stray bangs on his forehead. She hated when he had messy hair. "Why's he so tired though? Is that normal? He slept in the van on the way back from the courthouse and he's still sleeping now. Are you sure he isn't sick? His forehead feels kinda warm and-"

Logan tried to calm her down. "Katie, he's fine. It's completely normal for him to be this tired." He let out a long sigh. "Kendall's still on his medicine. That's one thing. Not to mention the fact that this trial stressed him out... A lot. If he's that stressed out, of course he'll be this tired. His body is just trying to restore itself after everything it's been through today. Kendall is just fine."

"I was so scared seeing him on the stand," Katie confessed. "I just thought about all the times Kendall would do anything to protect me. I wish I was there. I wish I could have done more to save him..."

Logan put his arm around her shoulder. "You've done more than you know, Katie. And for that, Kendall's extremely grateful to you."

Katie formed a sad smile on his face. "When's he gonna wake up?"

As if on cue, Logan and Katie heard a soft moan. They quickly fixed their gaze on Kendall, ready to help the blonde with whatever he needed. They watched as he stirred in bed a little bit, before his eyes slowly fluttered open.

"L-Logan," Kendall whispered as his eyes darted around the room. "Katie. How long have I been asleep?" he asked sleepily.

Logan smiled and checked his watch. "Almost two hours bro."

Kendall's eyes widened. "M-my therapy session...and Amirah," he said as he tried to sit up.

Logan put one hand on Kendall's chest and gently pushed him back on the bed. "Not so fast, hotshot."

"B-but," Kendall argued. "I have an appointment today. And I have plans with Amirah-"

Katie cut him off. "Mom called Dr. Richards for you. You're not going in. James called Amirah and canceled for you. No way we were gonna have you do that stuff if you're too tired."

Kendall smiled a little. "Thanks guys," he said as he relaxed into his bed again. Kendall stared up at the ceiling. They were all silent. Only one thing was on his mind as of right now. "S-so we won?" he finally asked.

Logan grabbed his hand. "No. You won. Gavin's behind bars and it's because of you."

Kendall shook his head. "No. It's because of us. All of you were hurt by Gavin in various ways. All of you stuck by me. I couldn't have done any of this without you guys." Kendall suddenly remembered something. "Carlos?"

"He's with James," Katie responded. "He's still a little shaken up though."

Kendall sighed and nodded. "I thought so."

_After the jury had found Gavin guilty, the bailiff handcuffed Gavin. But a question still plagued Carlos' mind. He watched as the bailiff began to escort Gavin out._

_"Wait!" Carlos called out as he ran up to Gavin before any of his friends could stop him. He stared at Gavin straight in the eyes, trying to form his simple question. He took a deep breath before he started speaking. By this time, his friends had all caught up with him, anxious to hear what Carlos had to say and what Gavin would say in response. "Why me?" Carlos finally asked. "Why'd you call me to meet you? Why was it specifically me?"_

_Gavin chuckled. His answer was simple. His eyes and facial expression suddenly turned dark. "Honestly," he said. "I wanted to kill you too."_

_Carlos watched with his mouth hung open as the bailiff and Gavin walked away. James felt nothing but anger as Gavin's words replayed in his head. Logan wrapped his arm around Carlos' shoulders and held his shorter friend tight._

_They all knew that if Carlos hadn't been smart with having the cops track him and Kendall down, they would both be dead._

"So," Kendall said, breaking the horrid flashback. "I-is it over?"

Logan smiled and nodded as he patted Kendall's knee. "Yeah buddy. It's over."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry the court scene just kinda...ended. I was wanting Gavin's lawyer to cross examine Kendall, then question Katie and the guys...but I wouldn't even know what the lawyer would even ask them XD<strong>

**Review!**


	31. Epilogue

***Sigh* Here it is. The end chapter. The epilogue. The last dance. The final frontier (nerd moment) O_o  
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**I took lyrics from David Guetta and Sia. So nope, I don't own it.  
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**Enjoy!  
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><p>You shout it out,<br>But I can't hear a word you say  
>I'm talking loud not saying much<br>I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet  
>You shoot me down, but I get up<p>

Kendall sat in the waiting room of his therapist's office. This time, Carlos, James, and Logan had offered to go with him, and didn't leave Kendall any room to say no.

Kendall fiddled with his thumbs. He couldn't understand why he still gets nervous visiting Dr. Richards. He'd been doing this once a week for a little over a month now. So why did it still bother him so much?

Carlos was busy tearing out pages from magazines and folding them to make neat origami figures. He stopped when he looked up and saw the look on Kendall's face. "Kendall?" he asked in a small voice. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, Carlos," Kendall replied, flashing a small smile. "Just a little nervous, that's all." He went back to averting his gaze down and playing with his thumbs.

I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose  
>Fire away, fire away<br>Ricochet, you take your aim  
>Fire away, fire away<br>You shoot me down but I won't fall  
>I am titanium<br>You shoot me down but I won't fall  
>I am titanium<p>

"Well don't be," James cut it. "You have no reason to be."

Kendall scoffed. "That's what I tell myself every time I walk in here...but it doesn't seem to work."

"Kendall," a familiar female voice ended their conversation before anyone could continue speaking. Kendall looked up to meet the eyes of Dr. Richards. "It's your turn," she said to him once she had gotten his attention.

"It'll be alright Kendall," Logan whispered. "Your session will be over before you know it and we'll be right here."

Kendall nodded in response as he slowly rose from his seat. He walked the short distance from the waiting room to Dr. Richards' office.

"How are you today, Kendall?" she asked him as they both sat down in their respective chairs.

He shrugged. "I'm doing better, I guess...I feel like...most things are back to normal."

Dr. Richards' eyebrows perked up at this. "Oh? And what makes you think that?"

Kendall sighed, thinking back. "Well, for one thing, my mom isn't super protective of me anymore." He chuckled. "But in all seriousness, I haven't gotten to the point where I no longer have nightmares plaguing my sleep, and the guys eventually bought me a nightlight." Kendall chuckled at the mention of Carlos' idea of a gift. "But I'm moving on with my life if you know what I mean. My friends and I have continued our recording with Gustavo. They don't let me dance that much because they're afraid of me hurting my back again. It gets kind of annoying sometimes but they're my friends so I know they're doing it because they love me."

Kendall loved that day. Being back at the studio, dancing to his favorite songs. Singing his heart out. He couldn't ask for more.

Some nights, the four boys slept in the same room. On those nights Kendall didn't "feel good", those nights where he "had a bad feeling", or nights where he just couldn't stand the thought of being alone. His friends stayed with him. Those nights he woke up his friends because of a nightmare, they never got mad at him. Instead, they'll stay up with him until he fell back asleep. Sometimes it would be James singing a nice slow song, Carlos telling a few jokes, or Logan holding Kendall, telling him everything will be alright. James, Carlos, and Logan would do things like that to remind Kendall that there was nothing to fear. That they were there for him. And James wouldn't stop singing, Carlos wouldn't stop telling jokes, and Logan wouldn't let go of Kendall until their blonde friend was fast asleep. They lost sleep making sure that Kendall felt better.

And they never complained.

"I went swimming the other day," Kendall continued. "I wore a shirt, of course..." he mentioned, making a reference to the scars still visible on his back. "But just being at the pool. I loved it. It was so refreshing and relaxing..." he trailed off.

"That's wonderful news, Kendall," Dr. Richards replied with a smile. "You're making some fast progress I see? Do I have to bring your friends in here to make sure you're not lying?"

"You can if you want to," Kendall offered, a smile forming on his face. "But you'll just waste your time."

* * *

><p>Kendall walked out of Dr. Richards' office. His friends noticed the bright look on his face as he walked towards them.<p>

"Told ya you'd be fine," Logan said with a smile. He playfully landed a punch on Kendall's arm.

Cut me down  
>But it's you who have further to fall<br>Ghost town, haunted love  
>Raise your voice, sticks and stones may not break my bones<br>I'm talking loud not saying much

"So how'd go?" Carlos asked, carefully placing his well done origami figures on the table and leaving them there. He wanted the world to see his art.

Kendall shrugged. "Same ol'," he replied. "She said I'm making progress though." One foot in front of the other.

His friends nodded. They could agree with that statement. Kendall was trusting everybody again. He was slowly returning to his leadership ways. He was laughing with them. Cracking jokes. Pulling pranks. Talking back to Gustavo, something they all really wanted to see.

I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose  
>Fire away, fire away<br>Ricochet, you take your aim  
>Fire away, fire away<br>You shoot me down but I won't fall  
>I am titanium<br>You shoot me down but I won't fall  
>I am titanium<br>I am titanium  
>I am titanium<p>

"Up for lunch?" Logan offered, earning a nod from Kendall. "Good," Logan responded. "Camille and Amirah want us to meet them at that new Chinese restaurant downtown."

James was happy with that news. The waitress that worked there, Lynn, was extremely hot. Carlos looked over James. Upon seeing the starry expression coming from James' face, Carlos rolled his eyes.

Stone-hard, machine gun  
>Firing at the ones who run<br>Stone-hard, those bulletproof glass

As they walked to their car, Kendall replayed the last two and a half months in his head. They all survived it. Everything. They didn't let Gavin break them apart. They stuck by each others side. Where would they be if it wasn't for that? Kendall shook that question out of his mind. That didn't matter. They'll never have to go through this again. Everything was going to be just fine.

They had received a letter from Martin the other day. Him and Diana had started over fresh like they wanted. They're in Chicago now.

Kendall was happy for himself for being able to start over too.

You shoot me down but I won't fall  
>I am titanium<br>You shoot me down but I won't fall  
>I am titanium<br>You shoot me down but I won't fall  
>I am titanium<br>You shoot me down but I won't fall  
>I am titanium<br>I am titanium

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><p><strong>*glances over chapter* Wow that was lame!<br>**

**After 31 confusing chapters, 184 reviews, 42 favorites, and 75 alerts, this story is saying "Adios!"**

**But I wanna say thank you so much for sticking with this story. I appreciate it muchly :)  
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**But that means more stories to start! Yay! So...I have a poll on my profile I want y'all to check out :D Which story do you wanna see next? It'll be open until I finish my "Bloodline" story, but beware, "Bloodline" is getting closer to being finished too. ;)  
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**So. Review one last time?  
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